A mere day after
cleaning house and dropping the sequel to World War Z from their 2017 release
schedule, Paramount Pictures is now faced with a dilemma called David Fincher.
According to THR, a
source close to the project says the filmmaker is "very creatively
interested in directing the movie," but Paramount is dragging its heels and
is reluctant to pull the trigger on the zombie pandemic sequel starring Brad
Pitt.
Paramount's decision
is a strange one considering they are not lush with franchises, so delaying the
project any further could potentially diminish whatever franchise appeal the Brad
Pitt starrer had to begin with.
Fincher, who has a long
working relationship with Pitt ("Fight Club," "Se7en," "The
Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), was reportedly onboard with the story
penned by author Dennis Kelly, the creator of Utopia, a British show that
Fincher and Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn were attempting to remake in the US
for HBO but that fell apart as a result of budget issues.
"He really would
like to do it," says a source close to Fincher. "It's up to
Paramount."
It is unclear why the
project is being delayed, but insiders do point out that it is not because of the
budget, which would have been lower than that of the first film, which cost
$190 million to produce. Furthermore, Paramount wouldn't be banking the project
solely, Skydance Prods. is both co-producing and co-financing.
Paramount is
apparently now eyeing a 2018 or 2019 release date but studio chief Brad Grey,
who originally pulled the plug, has yet to make it official.
J.A. Bayona ("A
Monster Calls") was originally onboard to direct the sequel, which was
slated for a June 9 release, but he left on January because he had not been
given enough time to prepare. "I loved those
guys at Paramount and [Pitt's] Plan B," he said. "I just can't work like that."
This isn't the first
time the property based on the Max Brooks' novel of the same name has faced
obstacles. The first movie was an uphill battle for director Marc Forster, who had
to re-shoot most of the third act after complaints by test audiences.
Source - THR
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