After the production problems World War Z faced – involving ballooning budgets and expensive reshoots – even Paramount was surprised when it became a $500 million grossing hit. The success ensured they wanted a sequel, but it was also clear from early on they didn’t want director Marc Forster – who many have blamed for the first film’s problems (and who reportedly had an extremely fractious relationship with Brad Pitt).
Now they’ve found the man they want to replace Forster for World War Z 2, as Spanish filmmaker Juan Antonio Bayona has signed on to direct World War Z 2, according to THR. Bayona s best known The Orphanage and last year’s The Impossible
Brad Pitt is set to reprise his role as U.N. employee Gerry Lane, although there’s no news on the exact plot, although it’s safe to assume it will continue to look at the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. No writers are attached to the sequel yet, although it’s reported that Juan Antonio Bayona will oversee the writing process. The director was on a very short list of contenders just a few weeks back before landing the job.
Going into the summer season, if you’d asked many pundits what they thought would be the biggest box office failure, a lot of people would have gone for World War Z ahead of actual disasters such as Lone Ranger. That was due to massive budget overruns and a disastrous shoot, which went so badly that the entire third act needed to be reshot.
Last week a sequel to The Conjuring was announced, which suggested Warner Bros had an inkling it would do well. They were right, as the James Wan directed horror movie, which cost just $20 million to make, grossed $41 million in its first three days in cinemas to top the US box office.
Despite two new big releases this week, Despicable Me managed to hold onto the top spot at the US box office for a second week, taking another $44 million for an excellent total of $229 million so far.
As most had expected, Monsters University stayed atop the US box office, taking another $46 million for a very healthy total so far of $171 million. Now all eyes will be seeing whether the film can stay strong once Despicable Me 2 is released on Friday.
World War Z was always planned as a franchise, but with its troubled production history – including the final third having to be completely reshot – many thought it would be lucky to get past a first movie. However, with the movie taking $66 million at the US box office in its opening weekend (analysts had been predicting about $40 million), and over $100 million in the rest of the world, it’s a strong enough start for Paramount Pictures to reveal they’re already moving forward with a sequel.
As expected Monsters University topped the US box office, taking a strong $82 million in its first three days. That’s marks Pixar’s 14th straight film to top the box office, and it’s their second highest debut ever, behind only Toy Story 3. The film is also likely to hold up well in the coming weeks, becoming yet another big hit for the studio.