The undead will rise again as Paramount has set a June 9, 2017 release date for their World War Z sequel. Juan Antonio Bayona is taking on directing duties with a script from Steven Knight (Locke, Peaky Blinders). 

When Knight completed his draft of the script earlier this year, the writer suggested that the follow-up would be more of a ‘clean slate’ than a traditional sequel. Knight’s comments led to speculation that World War Z could adopted an anthology format telling different stories from the zombie apocalypse. Given the style that the source material by Max Brooks was written in, an anthology would suit World War Z down to the ground. Sadly, should the producers opt for this change of direction it would mean an on-screen return for Brad Pitt would be unlikely. 

The ongoing production problems on the first movie were widely reported, despite the set-backs the finished product managed more than $500 million worldwide at the box office. A success by all accounts and further proof that a troubled shoot doesn’t always equal a flop. World War Z did fall under heavy criticism from the fans of the book as they felt it was a name only adaptation. To be fair they have a valid point, and I hope the sequel is a more faithful to the source material. Turning a series of diary entries into a cohesive narrative is no easy task, but I do like the idea that each sequel shows a different side of the zombie apocalypse. Paramount are keen to build World War Z into a tentpole franchise; an anthology format would create its own set of problems, but it would offer something new each time.