From Bond to Zombies: Marc Forster Signs on for "World War Z"

[J_UNTITLED]

From Variety...

"Paramount has set "Quantum of Solace" director Marc Forster to helm "World War Z," based on the Max Brooks bestselling novel about a worldwide infestation of flesh-eating zombies.

"Changeling" scribe J. Michael Straczynski is writing the screenplay, and Brad Pitt's Plan B is producing.

Brooks -- the son of Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft -- wrote a detailed tale in which a researcher for the U.N. Postwar Commission interviews survivors from countries all over the world, 10 years after the crisis, to gather a first-person post-mortem on a war that obliterated every country on the map.

Forster is unlikely to return for another James Bond installment.

As for "WWZ," "The genre always fascinated me, and when they pitched it to me, it reminded me of the paranoid conspiracy films of the '70s like 'All the President's Men,' " Forster told Daily Variety.

Par bought the book for Plan B in 2006, and it is one of several high-profile projects for the company headed by Pitt, who next stars for the studio in the David Fincher-directed "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

Plan B is also prepping an adaptation of the novel "Eat, Pray, Love," with Ryan Murphy directing and Julia Roberts expected to star; the Fincher-directed projects "The Killer" and "Black Hole"; and a film about drug addiction based on two nonfiction tales: "Beautiful Boy" and "Tweak."

Forster is repped by CAA and Management 360.

[DeeChizzle]

It's about time they got this project rolling.

[mikejet]

But QoS is getting bad reviews. I wanted someone who could bring the human element out from WWZ. This should have been an Eastwood or Spielberg project.

[Chocolatejas]

Would like to see a Wolrd War Z movie. I am listening to the book for a third time at work right now.

[JUDGEMENT 4400]

Originally Posted by mikejet

But QoS is getting bad reviews. I wanted someone who could bring the human element out from WWZ. This should have been an Eastwood or Spielberg project.

[X400]

any new zombie movie high or low budget get my ticket !

[atomik kinder]

I am just wondering how they are going to tackle this. Are they just going to have a bunch of people being interviewed documentary style? Are they going to dramatize it? If so, which story lines will they choose? I don't think this is going to be an easy book to adapt.

[mikejet]

I chose Eastwood or Speilberg because of Letter from Iwo Jima and Saving Private Ryan. What's worng with that? If you've read the book you know that the stories in WWZ are very personal. In fact, a film like letters might be the way to go with it.

WWZ does have moments of action but the individual human experiences are what makes it great. People coming together in a global crisis and their failures along the way. An action movie director might not apture that correctly and portray it the wrong way.

I have no objections to the writer chosen. I've heard amazing things about The Changeling.

[SpikesBluBlooded]

Never even heard about this book! I might just have to go out and give it a read... When was it written?

[mikejet]

Originally Posted by SpikesBluBlooded

Never even heard about this book! I might just have to go out and give it a read... When was it written?

Not too long ago. Author is Max Brooks. He also wrote the Zombie Survival Guide. He even references his own book in WWZ.

[DetroitSportsFan]

I like the sound of this. I'm a sucker for (well made) zombie flicks.

[Go Blue]

Originally Posted by DetroitSportsFan

I like the sound of this. I'm a sucker for (well made) zombie flicks.

Me too, though I found the newer they are the less I like them. I love the older zombie movies.

I really need to read this book.

[J_UNTITLED]

Originally Posted by mikejet

But QoS is getting bad reviews. I wanted someone who could bring the human element out from WWZ. This should have been an Eastwood or Spielberg project.

The majority of Marc Forster's earlier work has fared much better critically such as "Monster's Ball," "Finding Neverland," "Stranger than Fiction" and last year's largely-overlooked "The Kite Runner."

[zombieking]

This is amazing news. I've been begging for a WWZ movie after just reading the book recently. There are some very original and memorable moments(battles.) which will be interesting to see on film. Man I can't wait for this.

[GORT]

Would be a great movie if done right there is alot of story to fit in a movie