World War Z is a 2013 American disaster action horror film starring Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane, a former United Nations investigator who travels the world seeking a solution for a sudden zombie apocalypse. Inspired by the 2006 novel by Max Brooks, the film was directed by Marc Forster, with a screenplay by Matthew Michael Carnahan, Drew Goddard, and Damon Lindelof, from a story by Carnahan and J. Michael Straczynski. The supporting cast includes Mireille Enos, James Badge Dale, Peter Capaldi, Ruth Negga, and Matthew Fox.
Pitt's Plan B Entertainment secured the film rights to Brooks' novel in 2007, and Straczynski was approached to write and Forster to direct. In 2009, Carnahan was hired to rewrite the script. With a planned December 2012 release and a projected budget of $125 million, filming began in July 2011 in Malta, before moving to Glasgow in August and Budapest in October. The production suffered setbacks; in June 2012 the release date was pushed back and Lindelof was hired to rewrite the third act. He did not have time to finish the script, so Goddard was brought in to finish the rewrite. The crew returned to Budapest for seven weeks of additional shooting in September and October 2012, ballooning the budget to a reported $190 million, although some publications have listed it as high as $269 million.
World War Z premiered in London on June 2, 2013, and was theatrically released by Paramount Pictures in the United States on June 21. Reviews were generally positive, with praise for Pitt's performance and for the film as a revival of the zombie genre, but criticism of what some felt was an anti-climax and a lack of faithfulness to the source material. World War Z grossed over $540 million, making it the highest-grossing zombie film of all time, though a minor commercial success, taking into consideration its $190–269 million budget. A sequel was first announced shortly after the film's release, but was shelved in February 2019 reportedly due to budget issues and China's ban on zombie films, before being revived by 2026 with Edward Berger attached to direct.
Plot
Former United Nations investigator Gerald "Gerry" Lane, his wife, Karin, and their two daughters, Rachel and Connie, are caught in traffic in downtown Philadelphia when a zombie outbreak hits. Escaping the ensuing chaos, they travel to Newark and rescue Tommy, a young boy whose family hunkered down in their apartment and refused to leave. They are rescued by a helicopter sent by Thierry Umutoni, the UN deputy secretary-general.
The group is then taken to a US Navy vessel stationed in the Atlantic Ocean, where a team of scientists studies the outbreak. Among them is virologist Andrew Fassbach, who believes that the plague is caused by a virus and that finding its origin is crucial for developing a vaccine. Faced with the threat of his family's eviction from the vessel, Gerry reluctantly agrees to assist Fassbach.
Gerry, Fassbach, and a Navy SEAL escort fly to Camp Humphreys in South Korea, from where the first report of zombies was received. Upon arrival, the group is attacked by zombies, causing a panicked Fassbach to slip on the plane ramp and accidentally shoot himself dead. The team is saved by US soldiers stationed at the camp, and Gerry discovers that the infection was brought to the base by its doctor. A defective CIA officer imprisoned there guides Gerry towards Israel, where the Mossad has established a secure area.
In Jerusalem, Gerry encounters Jurgen Warmbrunn, a high-ranking Mossad official, who mentions that intercepted communications of Indian troops fighting zombies is what led Israel to set up defenses. Jerusalem has protected itself by constructing a massive wall, and allowing both Israeli and Palestinian refugees to seek shelter within the city. However, the refugees' loud celebrations attract zombies, which instinctively form massive castells to overcome the wall. As the city becomes overrun, Warmbrunn instructs Israeli soldiers to accompany Gerry back to his plane. Amidst the mayhem, Gerry observes zombies ignoring an elderly man and a malnourished boy. When one of Gerry's escorts, "Segen", is bitten on her hand, he amputates it to prevent her from turning into a zombie. Together, they escape on Belarus Airways Flight 160.
Gerry redirects the plane to a World Health Organization (WHO) medical research facility in Cardiff. During the journey, a stowaway zombie attacks a flight attendant, which later attacks the passengers. To eliminate the zombies, Gerry detonates a grenade to breach the cabin and expel them, resulting in the plane's crash landing. With Gerry presumed killed, his family is relocated from the carrier to Nova Scotia.
Gerry and Segen survive the crash, although Gerry is trapped in his seat and has sustained injuries. Segen comes to Gerry's aid, and together, they reach the Cardiff facility. Exhausted and wounded, Gerry loses consciousness and wakes up three days later, having been treated by the WHO staff. Sharing his observations, Gerry deduces that the zombies ignore the sick or injured, as they are not suitable hosts for spreading the infection. He proposes injecting healthy individuals with a curable pathogen as a form of "camouflage" against the zombies. The pathogen samples are in a section of the WHO facility infested with zombies. Gerry, Segen, and the head doctor attempt to sneak through the lab but accidentally alert the zombies. The three are separated in a chaotic chase, with Segen and the doctor forced to retreat. Gerry, the only one able to reach the samples, does so but is unable to leave because of a lone zombie blocking his path. Out of options, Gerry tests his theory by injecting himself with a pathogen. As he opens the door, his theory is proven correct: the zombie ignores him completely.
Gerry and Segen reach a secure area in Freeport, Nova Scotia, where Gerry reunites with Karin and the kids, including Tommy, who, having been orphaned, is unofficially adopted by Gerry and Karin. A vaccine is created, from a hybridised meningitis strain with components of smallpox and swine flu, serving as stealth against the zombies, enabling civilians to evacuate infected regions safely and empowering the military to combat the zombies more effectively.
Cast
Brad Pitt as Gerald "Gerry" Lane, a retired United Nations investigator who is recalled to duty to help search for a cure for the zombie pandemic Mireille Enos as Karin Lane, Gerry's dedicated and supportive wife. Daniella Kertesz as "Segen" (referred to by military rank rather than by name), an Israeli soldier who Gerry meets during his mission. James Badge Dale as Captain Speke, a U.S. Army Ranger stationed at Camp Humphreys in South Korea. David Morse as an ex-CIA officer imprisoned at Camp Humphreys for assisting North Korea's fight against the zombies Fana Mokoena as Thierry Umutoni, an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Gerry's former boss who enlists him to escort the virologist David Andrews as Captain Mullenaro, the U.S. Navy official in charge of the vessel to which the Lane family is brought Sterling Jerins as Constance Lane, Gerry and Karin's younger daughter Abigail Hargrove as Rachel Lane, Gerry and Karin's older daughter Peter Capaldi as Brit, a W.H.O. doctor in Wales Pierfrancesco Favino as Javier, the lead W.H.O. doctor in Wales Ruth Negga as Dr. Kelly, a W.H.O. doctor in Wales Moritz Bleibtreu as Dr. Ryan, a W.H.O. doctor in Wales Ludi Boeken as Jurgen Warmbrunn, a high-ranking Mossad official Grégory Fitoussi as Daniel, the C-130 pilot who flies Gerry from South Korea to Israel
In addition, Elyes Gabel plays Andrew Fassbach, a redshirt virologist whom Gerry escorted to South Korea. Matthew Fox appears as a crew member of the Navy vessel the Lanes stay on, although most of his scenes were cut from the final film.
Production Development
After a bidding war with Appian Way Productions, Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment secured the screen rights to Max Brooks' novel in 2007. The first draft of the screenplay was written by J. Michael Straczynski, who identified the challenge in adapting the work as "creating a main character out of a book that reads as a UN report on the zombie wars." Marc Forster signed on to direct, and described the film as reminiscent of 1970s conspiracy thrillers like All the President's Men (1974). Straczynski identified the 2002 spy film The Bourne Identity as an appropriate comparison, and noted that the film would have a large international scope that maintained the political emphasis. When asked about his involvement with the film, Brooks stated he had "zero control", but favored a role for Pitt, and expressed approval for Straczynski as screenwriter. Brooks said: "I can't give it away, but Straczynski found a way to tie it all together. The last draft I read was amazing."
An early script was leaked onto the internet in March 2008, leading to a review by Ain't It Cool News that called it "[not] just a good adaptation of a difficult book [but] a genre-defining piece of work that could well see us all arguing about whether or not a zombie movie qualifies as 'Best Picture' material". The script was well-enough respected to find a place on the 2007 Black List of "most liked" screenplays not yet produced. The Ain't It Cool News review also noted the film appears stylistically similar to Children of Men (2006), following Gerry Lane as he travels the post-war world and interviews survivors of the zombie war who are "starting to wonder if survival is a victory of any kind."
In December 2008, Straczynski said he hoped the film would begin production by the start of 2009, but, in March 2009, Forster said the script was still in development and he was not sure if World War Z would be his next film. Later in March, rumors surfaced that production offices were set up and the film was in early pre-production. Then, in June, Forster told an interviewer that the film would be delayed, stating that its script still needed a lot of development and was "still far from realization".
Brooks revealed that the script was being re-written by Matthew Michael Carnahan in July 2009. He said he believed this "show[ed] [the producer's] confidence in this project" because of the amount of money that was being invested in it. Paramount Pictures and UTV Motion Pictures announced at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con that Forster was set as director, and Pitt was confirmed to be playing the lead role. In March 2011, it was reported on Vulture that Paramount was searching for a co-financier, and would likely pull the plug on the adaptation without one. The article also stated that "an eleventh-hour effort is being made to court frequent Paramount co-financier David Ellison." A week later, it was reported that "hot and heavy talks are going on with David Ellison's Skydance Productions and as many as two other financiers."
Pre-production Pre-production began in April 2011, with Robert Richardson being announced as the cinematographer and Nigel Phelps as production designer. In the same month, it was reported that filming locations would include Pinewood Studios and London, England. Also in April, Mireille Enos was cast as Gerry Lane's wife and mother of their two children.