The successful debut of the zombie apocalypse tentpole marks the actor's biggest box office opening to date and could put him at the helm of his own studio franchise.
Has Brad Pitt caught franchise fever?
With the successful $111.8 million worldwide debut of zombie extravaganza World War Z -- a passion project for the actor -- Paramount will actively turn to developing a sequel, studio vice chairman Rob Moore tells The Hollywood Reporter. The tentpole earned $66 million in North America, the best opening for an original live-action tentpole since Avatar, and $45.8 million from its first 25 foreign markets.
World War Z initially was envisioned as a trilogy, but those plans were shelved when the movie ran into trouble, requiring extensive reworking of the last act. Initially set to open in December 2012, the movie's release date was pushed back to June, prompting many in Hollywood to anticipate a blood bath.
But in a happy reversal of fortune, World War Z is off to a strong start, both in terms of its commercial and critical appeal. It will need to stay strong to make up for its $190 million budget, however. Paramount appears confident it will, judging by the fact that its reviving plans for further installments. It's the biggest debut of Pitt's career.
Skydance Productions co-financed World War Z, which also was made in association with Hemisphere Media Capital and GK Films. Pitt produced via his company Plan B, with Marc Forster directing.
Franchises are incredibly important to Hollywood studios, and can likewise reap huge rewards for talent in terms of pay. And a World War Z series could mark a big win for Pitt in terms of his aspirations as a producer.
Pitt -- one of the world's most recognizable stars -- has spent much of his career pursuing prestige projects, versus more commercial event pics. An exception was Troy and the Ocean's Eleven franchise, although those were ensemble films.
His previous best box office opening, not accounting for inflation, was Mr. & Mrs. Smith in summer 2005 ($50.3 million). A year before, in May 2004, Troy opened to $46.9 million, his now third best debut.
Pitt has starred in a number of two-handers (Spy Game, Interview With a Vampire, The Devil's Own), as well having a relatively small -- but memorable role -- in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. His last two films were indie mob pic Killing Them Softly, which bombed, and the critically acclaimed Moneyball.
Pitt aggressively helped market World War Z, attending numerous screenings across the country, as well as turning up at industry events, such as CinemaCon, the annual convention of theater owners in Las Vegas. He also has jetted around the world to attend various premiere of the movie.
"The great thing about this process was that it showed what a great partner and producer Brad is," says Moore. "He made a true commitment."
Moore said that when the studio deemed that there problems with the movie, Pitt and Forster worked closely with Paramount Film Group president Adam Goodman to "find the right movie. He stayed and worked when he could have gone off and shot another movie."
The result -- World War Z drew a fairly even ratio of males (51 percent) and females (49), while 33 percent of those buying tickets were under the age of 25, and 67 percent, over.
In addition to Pitt's appeal, Moore says that females were drawn to the film's storyline. In World War Z, a U.N. worker who is torn between protecting his family and leaving to find a cure for a worldwide pandemic turning humans into zombies.
Last week, when attending the Moscow premiere, Pitt himself hinted at a sequel and said there is plenty of material left over from Max Brooks' novel, upon which the movie is based.
"I think the movie captured the public's imagination with something that is fresh and different," says Moore. "And certainly, Brad gave a superb performance."
Well its done....The naysayers ate their own words.
I'm glad; there were people everywhere claiming it was going to bomb hard -- some even claimed they wanted it to! -- since it had extensive re-shoots and re-writes (not to mention the major concerns with budget and the Forster/Pitt problems) but I'm glad it's come into its own and proved them all wrong.
Now, will we be having this same discussion when World War Z: Part 5 comes out in a few years time?
I think shows like WALKING DEAD really helped WWZ out this weekend. People who are fans of that show, which are a few, have to check WWZ out. These people already had a love of zombies before WWZ came out.
This is going to be good on BD. I was already a fan of B.Pitt...especially from his Interview with a Vampire Days. That was a great performance.
I hope there is a sequel...and maybe a TV show developed from this movie. I think the world can handle two zombie hit shows...WALKING DEAD & WWZ (maybe?!?!).
I think shows like WALKING DEAD really helped WWZ out this weekend. People who are fans of that show, which are a few, have to check WWZ out. These people already had a love of zombies before WWZ came out.
Not necessarily, I'm a big Walking Dead fan but I have never seen or had any interest in seeing any other zombie movie.
This movie had an impressive box office debut and a sequel is announced at the end of the weekend. That is something for those to think that box office discussions are irrelevant to ponder.
Director Marc Forster Out for WORLD WAR Z Sequel Although it went on to be a worldwide hit raking in over half-a-billion dollars, World War Z saw a heavy dose of skepticism and internal creative strife during its production. While the successful box office helped pave the way for a sequel, director Marc Forster will not be involved with the film. Star Brad Pitt, who produced the film through his Plan B Entertainment company, is moving forward with production on the sequel, although it’s still in early planning stages. There was no explicit reason given for Forster’s departure, but perhaps the director did not want a repeat of the behind-the-scenes tribulations he experienced during the first film. Hit the jump for more.
In THR’s extensive look at the drama and uncertainty leading up to the release of World War Z and how that affected another of Pitt and Plan B’s films, 12 Years a Slave, a few lines of text were dedicated to the news that Forster would not be returning to helm the sequel to the apocalyptic genre film. As for the progress on the sequel, here’s what Pitt had to say:
“We are talking about it … We are going to investigate a script. We have a lot of ideas we will cull from. Nobody is writing just yet, but we are compiling our ideas.”
The original film was loosely based on the Max Brooks novel by the same name. During production, the picture suffered bad press from reports of an over-inflated budget, rewrites, reshoots and the general feeling that the film’s producers didn’t have a clue what they were doing. Half-a-billion dollars later, World War Z is now another example of how a film should only be judged on its final version. An old adage says that laws and sausage are two things you don’t want to see being made; movies, especially blockbuster genre films, should be added to the list.
I had a feeling they were going to move on without him
Absolutely NO Surprise they're not asking for Forster to return. I read a Very lengthy article about the making of this movie in Vanity Fair & holy sh!t, what a fuster-cluck at times this movie was...
After making $540 million at the worldwide box office, Paramount and Skydance Pictures have worked fast to find a director for the sequel to “World War Z” with “The Impossible” helmer Juan Antonio Bayona coming on board to direct.
Brad Pitt is expected to return to star and produce with David Ellison also producing for Skydance. No writers are attached at this time.
In the original, Pitt played a former United Nations employee who travels the world trying to stop a zombie plague.
While the first film’s production was overshadowed in controversy that included a rewrite of the third act, the film overperformed at the box office, propelling development on the sequel.
Bayona, who also helmed “The Orphanage,” is repped by CAA.
Excellent news! This film needs a steady hand and a strong sense of horror. J.A. Bayona is that director. I thought the first film was solid, nothing more. But it sounds like they're on right track to making a substantial zombie flick.
It's hard to think of a better choice than the one they made. While I have yet to see The Orphanage (I really want to), The Impossible was great. I highly enjoyed the first World War Z, so after this, I'm really looking forward to the sequel.
All countries
Argentina
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Chile
China
Colombia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
Denmark
Finland
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
India
Latvia
Lithuania
Malaysia
New Zealand
Norway
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Singapore
South Africa
South Korea
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
World War Z Sequel
Hybrid Mode
