As reported by Yahoo news, David Fincher will be helming the yet unnamed sequel to Brad Pitt’s 2013 blockbuster World War Z.
If you’re a fan of Fincher’s work, then you know that this isn’t the first time these two have worked together. Some of Fincher’s most influential and gritty films were brought to life with Brad Pitt as the star of both 1995’s Seven and 1999’s Fight Club. Their most recent collaboration was in 2008 with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, proving that Fincher could not only craft expertly made thrillers, but deliver a romantic-fantasy-drama as well (are there a lot of those?)
Fincher had been in talks with Paramount for the past couple of months to direct, but there had been no word on what came of them up since April. Sure, it could’ve been ironing out the details, but it also could’ve meant stagnation, and neither side getting the terms they wanted. And, considering Paramount completely removed the sequel from its schedule in February, the circumstances surrounding the production didn’t seem good.Thankfully, those fears have been put to rest. Fincher will direct, and Pitt will star.
This is the first sequel Fincher has directed since 1992’s Alien 3, Fincher’s directorial debut. Since that dumpster-fire of a film, Fincher has voiced his regret over ever making it due to the lack of artistic control he had. So, signing on to direct a sequel to WWZ, a movie which had numerous problems with studio interference, is kinda-sorta-maybe questionable. Still, Fincher is not the young director he once was, and hopefully he has more control over this production. I mean, the guy hasn’t made a bad movie since his debut, so I’m staying optimistic.
What will be the key is Fincher’s relationship with Pitt. He is Fincher’s most used actor, with three films under his belt, and given that Fincher rarely uses an actor more than once, that’s an impressive feat. Maybe their previous work together will benefit the film, but it’s not like Fincher’s films haven’t worked without that element before.
Hopefully Paramount can restrain themselves enough to let these two create an astounding sequel that can eclipse the mediocrity of the first film. Until then, we’ll keep looking for new developments on the subject.
