Say whatever you want about the troubled post-production, reshoots and turmoil, the bottom line is this: “World War Z” was much better than it had any right to be under those circumstances, and moreover, it’s Brad Pitt‘s highest-grossing film of his career. End of discussion. And not only was a sequel inevitable, it now has a director.
Juan Antonio Bayona, the man who put Naomi Watts through hell in “The Impossible,” has been tapped to direct “World War Z: Title To Be Determined.” But as you’ve probably already guessed, it’s still very early stages. In fact there are no writers on board—though Pitt has already said ideas have been percolating—but Bayona will apparently oversee that process as well. Undoubtedly, this will probably wait until there is a finished script that everyone likes before moving forward.
It’s another boost up the career ladder for Bayona, who broke out with the horror “The Orphanage” and showed he could do big destruction and drama on a budget with “The Impossible.” And it’s likely those qualities that got him the meeting with Pitt and co. and eventually the gig. [THR]