Zombie apocalypse movies such as Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland, and Train to Busan have garnered a massive fan following over the years. Still, only a few popular ones from this genre have managed to get a sequel. The undeniable success of World War Z in 2013 had fans hoping for the best. And now, after a decade-long slump, Paramount has finally announced a surprising decision: World War Z 2 is finally on the cards!
Paramount Pictures to develop the second part of World War Z
On April 16, Paramount Pictures revealed that it’s planning to bring World War Z 2 to life. The promising announcement came during the company’s presentation at CinemaCon 2026 in Las Vegas, as it listed all its projects under development. While Paramount didn’t dive into further details, such as potential cast or timeline, this is the most concrete update the Brad Pitt-starring project has received in recent years.
The original movie follows the story of former U.N. investigator Gerry Lane (Pitt), who dodges a lethal zombie outbreak in Philadelphia, along with his family. But the rising risk eventually forces him to take on a global mission to figure out the root cause of the pandemic. The story comes down to Lane’s desperate attempt to find the cure as his family inches closer to becoming one of those aggressive beings with rotten flesh and a dead conscience.
Directed by Marc Forster, the first part was released on June 21, 2013, earning $540 million worldwide against a $190-$269 million budget. After its financial success, David Fincher was reported to take the director’s chair with Pitt reprising his lead role. However, those plans never materialized due to budget constraints and scheduling delays. Still, the possibility never fully faded, as some encouraging reviews from critics backed the monetary upside.
World War Z earned a 67% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the site’s overall verdict reading, “It’s uneven and diverges from the source book, but World War Z still brings smart, fast-moving thrills and a solid performance from Brad Pitt to the zombie genre.”
On the contrary, Matt Goldberg threw subtle shade at the fictional world set up by Forster in his review for Collider.
“It’s a movie that may take place on a global stage, but the world lacks definition,” he wrote. “With no world and no war, all that’s left is the ‘Z,’ which can stand for zombies or what you catch when you’re sleeping.”
Under David Ellison’s new leadership after Paramount Global’s merger with Skydance Media, World War Z finally gets a new ray of hope. Do you think the movie deserves a sequel?
