Brad Pitt to star in World War Z sequel, reunites with Edward Berger

Brad Pitt is officially returning to the zombie franchise that made him one of the genre's biggest stars, confirmed to lead Paramount's long-awaited World War Z sequel with Edward Berger, the German filmmaker behind All Quiet on the Western Front and Conclave, set to direct. 

British playwright Dennis Kelly, known for writing the book for Matilda: The Musical, has penned the script, plot details remain under wraps.

The original 2013 film, based on Max Brooks's bestselling 2006 novel World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, grossed more than $540 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing zombie film of all time.

Pitt starred as Gerry Lane, a former United Nations investigator racing to stop a fast-spreading zombie pandemic. 

A sequel has been in development for over a decade, with Pitt's longtime collaborator David Fincher once attached to direct before budget issues derailed that version in 2019, a source previously told The Hollywood Reporter that China's ban on zombie films was also a factor in the earlier attempt's collapse.