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 !
 

Crisis Zero: World War Z PSA

Matt Boiselle

   
      It appears that the marketing campaign for World War Z has officially hit full stride with it's latest creation of a public service announcement warning the world's population to ready itself for "Crisis Zero". The fictional Global Health Agency has released a 90 second video encouraging a New World Order to combat the upcoming zombie plague and all that it threatens.

   The video appears to cater to residents of the U.K. right now - when U.S residents check this out they are re-directed to the World War Z website, but that could potentially change as the North American release date nears. If you want to get a good look at the UK site, check out their link - www.crisiszero.com/uk/ - they also are heavily involved on the social sites as well, but the best way to get started is to involve yourself with their main site, and prepare yourself....for there will be no warning.

Max Brooks: "World War Z - movie only in title and that's it"

Matt Boiselle
 

    With the impending release of the much-hyped Brad Pitt zombie film, World War Z, many moviegoers have pondered whether the movie will be just like the book or not. According to the man responsible for the multi-million copy selling author Max Brooks "only in title, and that's it" - sharp and decisive words for the man who put the idea in motion, many believe.

    Brooks was recently interviewed at Mansfield University about the upcoming movie, and while he knew they were going to rewrite it, he understood that there would also be a million changes made from book to celluloid. All one would have to do is check out any news items on this film and read multiple reports of script changes and re-shot scenes, but if the truth is entirely infallible, will it all be worth it when all's said and done ?

  Brooks had been invited to read the script after it's initial shooting, but he refused
"I said: Why would I read this? This is not the movie you're going to make," Brooks said. "You're going to do rewrites and re shoots. That's what happens when you make a giant movie.
"My attitude is if you haven't invited me in to contribute, then fine. Go make the movie you want to make and I'll see it when it comes out." - at least he is taking a hard-line stance on his decision, and I honestly cannot blame him for that in any instance.

   Brooks main concern is that fans of the book could potentially see some of their favorite moments changed drastically or removed completely once they check it out in theaters. He simply offers fans to " treat both the book and the movie as two separate things." - So the question here is, are you going into this with a wide open mind, willing to accept change....or will you beat this movie down for its potentially radical swerving of the storyline ?

Should we start calling him "General" Brooks ?

Matt Boiselle

    We all here in the good old USA can rest assured that we have the strongest military forces in the world, and when certain trouble arises we know that our branches of defense will rise to the occasion and protect the country that they love so dear....but when circumstances occur that may not be of the normal...well, that's when the BIG GUNS need to be called upon to step forward and issue their guidance.

   The U.S. Army recently had a hurricane response rehearsal this last week at Fort Sam Houston in Texas, and recruited the services of Max Brooks, author of the wildly popular World War Z & The Zombie Survival Guide, to come in and speak to the leaders about preparation for varying disasters. Brooks, who has a massive following in the military, spoke at length about proper preparation techniques in advance of differing catastrophes, including a zombie apocalypse. He isn't a stranger to addressing the armed forces, as he has already headlined two different speaking engagements with the Naval War College regarding similar issues. " you have young people being interested in being prepared, being 'tricked into' taking care of themselves, really, because even if the zombie apocalypse does not happen, they will be ready for the next hurricane or next disaster," Brooks said - and who better to lead us in to World War Z, than the man who penned the book on it !

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.

Latest World War Z poster: bringing down the chopper !

Matt Boiselle

        What seemed like a far-reaching dream now appears to be getting closer with every new nugget of undead information. World War Z, the movie adaptation of Author Max Brooks best-selling novel, is gaining some serious steam towards its June 21st theatrical release date and feeding ravenous zombie fans a heaping helping of rage-infected goodness !

       The latest piece of info has materialized in the latest poster advertising the movie itself. It shows the throngs of psychotic flesh-munchers swarming over the top of an overturned automobile and leaping to cling onto an attack helicopter, bringing it to a seemingly destined downspin.

   
    If the poster hasn't made you want to run out right now and stand in line at the movie theater (okay, so you would be waiting a little while), you can always click on the above video link to check out the latest trailer for the movie and get ready to start drooling heavily. World War Z opens in theaters on June 21st, and we here at Zombies & Toys will be keeping you up to date with the latest information as it comes along.

World War Z: Full Trailer!

Jamie Kennedy

First it was postponed from December to summer of this year, then it needed an almost complete re-write; but if you've been excited about the World War Z film, here's a little something to keep you going.


World War Z looks bad ass! Its definitely a movie I would pay to see. The graphics are amazing and the action is unreal. It's the sort of flesh-eating, undead nightmare that keeps you up at night.

The zombie outbreak spreads world-wide, so the UN steps in and sends Brad Pitt to try and stop it. I'm really curious to see how it'll all ends, so you can count on me buyin' tickets!

World War Z: new ending rewrite in the works ?

Matt Boiselle

 As if this film couldn't face any more disorganization, controversy, or all out general confusion as to what the heck is going on, we as fans of Max Brooks' World War Z may finally have a nugget of hope that we can cling to. Drew Goddard, the mastermind behind the new horror sensation The Cabin in the Woods, has been given the seemingly unwanted task of writing the ending to the big-screen adaptation of the hugely popular novel.

   Previously, Marc Forster (Quantum Of Solace) was the man in charge of the job at hand, and according to industry insiders, he was running the entire production into a massive hole. Now take a great book that has provided plenty of buzz, and mix in a massive budget, copious amounts of productive infighting, and a script that is a shaky as Nick Nolte's footing on solid ground......and well...we've got quite the mess don't we ?

    Added to all of this utter perplexity, insiders claim that there is a limited amount of time for Goddard to get cracking on this project, and Christopher McQuarrie ( Tom Cruise's screenwriter) could be the NEXT man in line to take over the workload in a top-to-bottom format. So what is the ending result in all of this mess ?? No one really seems to know - the only thing that manages to remain a constant is that the movies that fans are truly clamoring to see are the ones with the most strife.....but we manage to get a new "Twilight" every year (shudders). As usual, stick with us here at Zombies & Toys and we will try to see if over time any more news will make sense of this never ending debacle of a project.

World War Z: Postponed until 2013

Matt Boiselle
In a move that will surely disappoint fans of the impending cinematic zombie apocalypse, Paramount has decided to change the previous release date of the Brad Pitt feature film, World War Z. The movie adaptation, based on Author Max Brooks' wildly popular book centering on the effects of a society that has been crumbled due to a zombie armageddon, has now seen its original December 2012 release date kicked back to June 21st, 2013. The move appears to strictly be made in an attempt to combat other Summer blockbusters, allowing it to flourish in the competition of other theatrical heavy hitters. So for all the zombie fanatics hoping to see this movie around the holidays this December, crack open the book once again and hang tight for another six months.

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.

WWZ Production Photos

Todd Jepperson


These have been buzzing around the WWW this week, so we thought we'd give you a sneek peek. Here are the set photos from the Hollywood adaptation of Max Brooks' World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War.

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.

World War Z - book contest

This is a first... a previous contest winner is paying it forward by donating a copy of World War Z! So, everyone join me in thanking Todd for sending me this hard-cover first edition of the Max Brooks novel.

For your chance to win, email your name and address to wwz@zombiesandtoys.com. One winner will be selected at month's end to receive the book and a bunch-o-swag from Zombies & Toys!

Still Life For World War Z Movie

MTV had an opportunity to speak with author, Max Brooks, about the movie adaptation of World War Z. Click here to check out the entire article. To wet your appetite with some words from Brooks:

"You know... the studio comes in and gives their notes and [director Marc] Forster came in and gave his notes," he explained. "Carnahan was brought in for reasons unbeknownst to me. Maybe he's doing a polish, maybe he's doing a top-down rewrite. I know that his draft is supposed to come in in the next few weeks."

One thing is obvious: This is not going away. There will eventually be a movie adaptation of World War Z. For me, it can't come soon enough but I'll wait as long as it's worth it.

World War Z - Disappointing News

The up-and-down news of the movie adaptation of Max Brooks' World War Z continues. The most recent news? Director Marc Forster is no longer directing!

This must-read novel NEEDS to be made as a movie. I'll keep taking the up-down news as long as it all ultimately makes for a better movie.

To be continued...

World War Z: New Movie News!

This news comes from Rabid Doll which they got from Bloody Disgusting who reported from an interview on Fangoria Radio. So check those links for the original info.

It looks like World War Z is still moving forward after reporting earlier that there would be some delays. Matthew Michael Carnahan ("The Kingdom," "State of Play") will be scripting the adaptation. This news comes from the book's author, Max Brooks, who also had this to say during the interview: “He’s one of Hollywood’s hot A-list writers, so if they went after him and paid him a mountain of gold, it definitely shows their confidence in this project.”