While its budget was definitely far beyond what it needed to be and there were all sorts of problems with reshoots and fixing up events, World War Z managed to show that there’s room for this kind of film out there as it did $540 million worldwide after four months in theaters. Paramount was bullish on a sequel from the get go and the nod came pretty quickly, which eventually got us Juan Antonio Bayona set to direct it as Marc Forster wasn’t interested in returning. The writing staff largely isn’t expected to return either as Drew Goddard and Damon Lindelof are all off on their own projects. Brad Pitt is certainly returning though, having taken an investment in the project, and now the new screenwriter has finally been announced.
Steven Knight is set to write the script for the film as it attempts to work in mor ematerial from the diary/novel as originally written Max Brooks. Knight has a few things to his resume over the last few years with writing credts for Seventh Son and the upcoming The Hundred Foot Journey, but he was also the writer and director on Locke. And there was word a few months back about him writing a World War II era film for Brad Pitt as well. So where this fits into things is less certain, but it certainly seems like the team has clicked.
[Source: Collider]
