CraveOnline.com film movies tv and humor

Movie News

Marc Forster Helming World War Z

November 14, 2008

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

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.

"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 the trade.

From ComingSoon.net

World War Z
J. Michael Straczynski Talks World War Z
The Weekend Warrior: Nov. 14 - 16
The Weekend Warrior: June 19 - 21
Strike Memo Reveals Lots of Juicy Info!

Other Movie Sites

The Weekly Wrap-Up: November 15-21, 2008
Quantum of Solace Director to Helm World War Z
Paramount Puts Damn Nation on Fast Track
Your Schwartz Is Indeed as Big as Mine
Young Frankenstein - Blu-ray Disc

COMMENTS (37)

Posted by:

Awesome

November 14, 2008

I have been wondering if they would make a movie based on that book. I had such a great reception by readers. It is a great book, totally different from any zombie story you have ever seen or heard. I am wondering how they are going to piece it together, being that it is basically a crap load of first hand accounts from different people. But this could be a breakout movie if it is done right.

Posted by:

Awesome

November 14, 2008

It had a great reception, sorry.

Posted by:

ico

November 14, 2008

I've been wanting to read this for a long time but never got the chance. I'm a huge fan of the genre and to have such a high level director attached is awesome.

Since i never read this i'm wondering if they can actually make a movie out of it? It doesnt sound like it has a linear story. Is there anyone whose read it that can tell me if it seems possible?

Posted by:

Scottamalla

November 14, 2008

zombies = boring

You just can't do a cool, new, and fresh take on zombies.

Kill the genre

Posted by:

derek

November 14, 2008

The story would be fairly tough to adapt directly, but even though there are various accounts they still sorta overlap chronologically - one tale finishes about the same time as the next story starts.

I guess if they kept going back to an actual interviewer and made them a character a direct adaptation could work out nicely - "Interview With A Vampire" style.

Otherwise they could just pick a couple of the stories and focus on them, and weave the others into the major stories a bit.... kinda like they did with "Fast Food Nation".

I liked the Japanese guys story the best - can't wait to see that one on screen.

Posted by:

Roger

November 14, 2008

I hope they treat it in a very realistic manor... almost documentary style. The concept of the walking dead terrifies me. When I watch the original Night of the Living Dead it still creeps the hell out of me with its grainy look and simple premise... good stuff... classic horror.

Posted by:

Marco

November 14, 2008

I thought Zack Synder said he was doing it. I guess it was another zombie movie.

Posted by:

El Guy

November 14, 2008

Ah man, I really dig this book and was really looking forward to the movie, especially with a script by J. Michael Straczynski, but the choice in director is a bit off-putting. I'm really looking forward to Quantum of Solace, but I find Marc Forster to be a conventional, uninspired director. I don't want to say he's an indie Brett Ratner...but you get the idea. In my opinion, he totally fumbled The Kite Runner. It played like highlights from the book, and was sucked dry of any real emotion. And Stay just sucked. He'll film the script, but he's no visionary. This movie needs a passionate, creative director to make zombies scary again. Someone who can truly create a world in chaos.

Posted by:

firefly_87

November 14, 2008

I've read this book and its awesome, very real....hope the movie too.

Posted by:

Daniel

November 14, 2008

This was an amazing novel and I hope they can do it justice. The details and the way Brooks made you feel as though this event could actually happen and the paranoia surrounding the outbreak makes me excited to see it come to the screen.