World War Z sequel will have a new director - will it work ?

Matt Boiselle

    Love it or hate it, you simply cannot deny the success of Brad Pitt's feature vehicle, World War Z - based on author Max Brooks's novel of the same name. Over budgeted, rewritten and plagued with creative differences that would have shut down a lesser film, we as a collective watched this movie from inception to reception on a global scale, and NOW we are headed face-first into a potential sequel.....at least that's what Mr. Pitt has been stating.

  One thing is for sure, and that is whether we will be staring down a rampaging cinematic feature of "sequalic proportions" (I made that phrase up), it will be done WITHOUT the leadership of the man that directed the original film. Marc Forster, lead helmer of World War Z has informed the remainder of Plan B Studios that he will not be returning to the throne for Part 2...or Part Deux....or Part II..(whatever). Pitt has stated previously that it was ALWAYS in the plans to put forth a sequel, but there are "numerous ideas that need to be culled".

   We here at Zombies & Toys will remain firmly in touch with any and all news regarding the directorial search, and subsequent story lines, script, budget, infighting, delaying, and whatever else could serve as a roadblock on the way to this movie being served up on the big screen.

A World War Z sequel ? Brad Pitt says "oh yeah !"

Matt Boiselle


                                             


       Following the surprisingly monstrous box-office numbers for World War Z, the Brad Pitt vehicle which critics were SURE would bomb, the star himself has offered this statement regarding a sequel (or sequels): "We're certainly talking about it, yeah. We have so many ideas on the table from just the time we spent developing this thing and figuring out how zombie worlds work."

    Now this can be looked at two different ways, if you were a big fan of the movie adaptation of Author Max Brooks's work, then you can only get MORE psyched up about the possibility of a franchise. However, detractors will only salivate at the opportunity to skewer this movie and any future Pitt offerings. It still is a mystery as to how this movie itself even saw the light of day, considering the multiple hold-ups in production due to re-shoots and creative differences. At the end of it all, the film racked up a princely sum of around $536 million (between foreign & domestic pulls) - and seemed to rake back in some dough to cover it's gigantic $190 million production cost.

   Only time will tell if we could be looking at World War Z: Part II - and if it does happen, keep your faces pressed to your screens here at Zombies & Toys for the latest info !

A "more intense" World War Z is coming to Blu-Ray

Matt Boiselle

   If you were one of the zombie-lovin' masses that flocked to the theaters this summer to catch the film adaptation of author Max Brooks huge novel World War Z, but felt as if there was a little something missing, or there wasn't enough blood and guts for all you gorehounds, then wait until you get your hands on the UNRATED Blu-Ray release coming this September 17th.

   In addition to the unrated version, the 3D version has been digitally remastered in the IMAX format to give all of the screen-popping images that much more of a boost in your face ! Other features that will be jam-packed into this package include:

Feature film in high definition (Unrated version)

Origins—The filmmakers discuss collaborating with renowned actor/producer Brad Pitt to create a Zombie film the likes of which have never been seen.

Looking to Science—Explore the scientific realities of Zombie behavior in nature and learn more about Zombies in literature and film.

WWZ: Production

Outbreak—Go on set with Brad Pitt and director Marc Forster for a behind-the-scenes look at the film’s breathtaking first attack in Philadelphia.

The Journey Begins—Delve deeper into Gerry’s fight for survival during the dramatic escape in South Korea.

Behind The Wall—Explore the epic scene in Jerusalem and discover the incredible logistics of creating the elaborate stunts and crowd sequences.

Camouflage—Experience the final confrontation between Gerry and the Zombies and discover the phenomenal scope of the film’s production.

  Remember, this beauty drops on September 17th, and it will be available digitally a week earlier, so pre-order your copy NOW !
 

New World War Z Poster - Just missing one thing.....ZOMBIES !!

Matt Boiselle

   The buzz for the upcoming feature film World War Z has been nothing short of titanic (good correlation huh ?) - and with each new passing trailer and TV spot that we are teased with, the ever-mounting question seems to be growing to a fever pitch... and that question is "Can we PLEASE get a closer look at the zombies ?"

   There are a couple schools of thought here as we focus on the latest international poster above with the hero-at-large, Brad Pitt, as he stares at a city in ruin out the back of a personnel transport carrier plane - and one way to look at it is, the studio has NO intention of giving us that all-important close up shot of the zombies yet. Come on, we are all planning on seeing it anyways, right ? - I'm fairly sure that the studio knows this for certain, so why not keep it a mystery. Other than the fact that these zombies resemble some sort of psychotic, turbo ant-pile when grouped together in mass quantities, the odds of individualizing them looks to be a non-factor. (Personally, I like the idea of the guessing game.)

    The other way of looking at it could be the marketability factor, the studio sees Brad Pitt as it's major selling point, so why push the notion any further than it already is ? Any way you slice it, the movie will be a colossal success, much as the book has been, and the studio will do its duty to keep us salivating until it's release on June 21st. Will this suffice to all of our faithful lovers of the flesh-eaters ? Sound off and let us know what you think - we here at Zombies & Toys will be on top of this movie and all of its gory news until it smacks us all in the skull this Summer.

Watch a World War Z Zombie Attack

David Brown

Lately, the internet has been buzzing with all of the news concerning the filming of World War Z. Well to add to that we are glad to report that a bit of leaked footage has hit the internet.  The footage shows a zombie attack from the film.  Click below to watch it, but do so quickly before the zombies over at YouTube devour this clip with rapid ferocity.

World War Z Cast Expands

David Brown

It has been a while since we have heard any major news concerning World War Z. Last we new Brad Pitt was attached, but things have changed now and more details are being revealed as far as casting is confirmed.  It seems the latest name to become attached to the movie is Matthew Fox, best known for his role on the TV show Lost.  Fox is apparently signed on to play a character currently known only as "Parajumper".  Besides Fox there are other big names attached to the movie including aforementioned Brad Pitt, James Badge Dale, Mireille Enos and Ed Harris.  Marc Foster of Quantum of Solace and Finding Neverland movie fame is set to direct, while J. Michael Stracynski a writer of many Twilight Zone episodes is set to write the script.

The plot, for those of you not familiar with the novel is such:  It’s 10 years after a zombie apocalypse has hit the world and left it in a bit of a shambles. Brad Pitt is a researcher for the U.N. Postwar Commission and James Badge Dale is a solder named Captain Speke, who tries to warn the military about the oncoming zombie threat and as a result is locked up in a detention centre when the war begins. The storyline is patched together from testimonials of different people all around the world, giving their perspective on the zombie outbreak.

Also a further bit of new to pass along.  The movie is scheduled to begin shooting next month and has been announced to be filmed in Malta, London, Glasgow and Elstree Studios.  We will definitely keep you updated as we receive more details, but one thing is for sure, this movie is looking like it will help slingshot zombies back to their rightful place at the top of the horror ladder.

The Walking Dead at SDCC

I loves me some San Diego Comic Con! That place is a geek's wet dream and if Zombies & Toys is around once my kiddies are old enough to make the journey I'll be reporting about it first-hand. So help us out by buying some zombie toys! But I digress...

We posted earlier how SDCC has brought us the news of Brad Pitt to star in the World War Z movie. Well, now AMC is bringing us a glimpse of what they have in store for attendees. Their booth is a scene from the comic and television series and there is a way to digitally turn yourself into a zombie. They will also have 10 extras wandering the con dressed as zombies!

Head over to AMC for the full scoop! And if you want more SDCC news, check out YouBentMyWookie for their full coverage! Our friend, Eric, is hard at work taking pictures and reporting about the con throughout the day.

World War Z To Star Brad Pitt

The rumours have been abound for several months speculating that Brad Pitt would be involved with the World War Z movie. They started when Pitt's production company grabbed the rights for the movie back in 2007. Now, Paramount has optioned those rights and are aiming for a summer 2012 release! Let's hope the San Diego Comic Con slips loose more info over the coming days.