Summary

• World War Z had the potential to kick off a new zombie movie franchise but never materialized.
• Despite being a commercial hit, World War Z faced numerous obstacles in producing a sequel.
• A World War Z remake could provide a fresh opportunity to explore the original novel's storyline.

When World War Z came out in 2013, it was immediately hailed as a promising start to a brand-new zombie franchise, but that never materialized. Horror is a genre that often finds itself falling into familiar patterns. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, slasher horrors, and horror comedies had a hay day. At other points, sub-genres like body, psychological, supernatural and more all had moments where they became the most popular and prominent categories. However, the zombie sub-genre has been largely quiet for decades, with just a handful of decent movies featuring the walking dead.

Often, a talented director, or a popular franchise is enough to kick off a wave of new films in a specific genre. And in 2013, it appeared as though zombie movies could finally be brought back into the spotlight. This was all thanks to a promising new zombie movie that put a unique spin on the traditional undead story, and appeared to have all the right ingredients to become a large and popular franchise. Despite this, World War Z never went beyond the first movie, and I still believe it's a tragedy for zombie horror in general.

World War Z Is Now On Netflix - And Was Supposed To Have Sequels

World War Z Could Have Been The Next Big Horror Franchise

Marc Forster, who had already grown to become a fairly successful director with titles like Finding Neverland and Quantum of Solace under his belt, lent his considerable talents to World War Z. In addition, the film starred Brad Pitt, one of the top Hollywood A-listers of the last several decades. With this considerable talent, and a story that was strong enough to bring zombies to the big screen in a way that hadn't been done quite as powerfully since George A. Romero popularized the creature features in the 1960s and 1970s, the movie was a huge hit.

While the budget for the film wasn't cheap, at $190 million, the film came good, earning $540 million at the box office (via Box Office Mojo). This meant the studios behind the movie were keen to make a sequel, and director Forster already envisioned the project as the first part of an epic trilogy. So, not long after the original came out, the sequel was announced. Unfortunately, this was just the beginning of a long and strenuous journey for the studio and the creatives working hard to get the movie made.

Why World War Z 2 Should've Happened & Why It's Now Unlikely

The Story Sets Up A Trilogy

Despite the World War Z sequel being announced almost immediately after the original movie hit theaters, the sequel ran into a whole host of issues. For several years, the project remained in development hell, with new writers and directors being announced. However, after years of struggling, the legendary filmmaker, David Fincher, who has created several mind-bending projects, such as Fight Club, Seven, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Gone Girl, was announced as the new director, with filming set to begin in 2019. Being a fan of both Fincher and World War Z, this was spectacular news.

However, once again, the movie hit several walls, which led to the project being shelved permanently. In 2019, when the film was eventually set to begin filming, THR reported that one of the biggest reasons the film was never made came down to politics. In China, the world's second-biggest movie industry, movies featuring zombies and ghosts are banned. This massive roadblock was too big for World War Z to overcome, and was potentially the last nail in the coffin for why the movie was retired permanently.

Could There Be A World War Z Remake Instead?

What Comes Next For The World War Z Franchise?

However, World War Z wasn't without its flaws. The movie may have been a big hit financially, and a popular new take on the zombie genre, but there was also some backlash to the movie due to its straying from the original novel upon which it's based. A 2006 novel by Max Brooks, which is similarly named World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, was the text which was loosely adapted for the 2013 movie. The novel approaches the story in a very different way, through a series of fictional interviews which take place ten years on from the outbreak.

While Fincher is no longer set to direct a sequel, the director has teased that there is a possible World War Z remake in the pipeline. While this may be disappointing news as far as Brad Pitt's unfulfilled action horror franchise, it would be a cathartic and positive way to continue the story. And while I may always long for a follow-up to the original movie, it would be great to at least get that same world and story back on the big screen, even if it means remaking World War Z from the ground up.

World War Z is now available to stream on Netflix.