World War Z was released in 2013, but the movie had been plagued with issues from the start. Director Marc Forster, who'd helmed the troubled James Bond movie Quantum of Solace, clashed with several creatives during pre-production, meaning the project was over budget before cameras even started rolling.
Things only got worse from there, with a tumultuous shoot which ended with the entire final act being scrapped and reshot (Damon Lindelof and Drew Goddard were tasked with writing a new ending, with the cost a whopping $20 million when all was said and done).
Throw in a mixed response to those CG zombie hoards when the trailers dropped and, in what was already a busy summer with movies like Man of Steel and Iron Man 3, it felt like World War Z was destined to flop. Instead, it earned $540 million, a respectable amount which led to sequel talks.
Forster had hoped to make a trilogy, but it was clear he wouldn't be asked to return. Instead, new director, J.A. Bayona, and writer, Steven Knight, were tasked with dreaming up a sequel (the former later left the project to shoot Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom).
However, we were then all left in shock when the news broke that Fight Club, Seven, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo helmer David Finch revealed plans to take charge of the zombie franchise. His involvement led to Brad Pitt agreeing to return, but delays followed and the sequel was scrapped.
Talking to GQ, Fincher finally shed some light on what he had planned for the movie.
"Well, it was a little like The Last of Us," he reveals. "I'm glad that we didn't do what we were doing, because The Last of Us has a lot more real estate to explore the same stuff. In our title sequence, we were going to use the little parasite...they used it in their title sequence, and in that wonderful opening with the Dick Cavett, David Frost-style talk show."
Asked if the movie was going to be a closer adaptation of Max Brooks' novel, Fincher added, "No, no. But there is some talk of doing that."
It sounds like something World War Z-related could be brewing, though it was previously reported that Fincher's version was scrapped due to China's ban on movies featuring zombies. However, with so few Hollywood blockbusters released there now, perhaps Paramount has decided to go back to the drawing board?
Unfortunately, we're guessing whatever comes next won't involve Fincher.