Last month, Steven Knight ("Locke," "Eastern Promises") revealed to Collider he had completed and submitted a draft for the sequel to "World War Z." However, it seems that the brewing followup to Brad Pitt’s blockbuster zombie movie needs a bit more work, and another pen has been tasked to come in and give it a go.
READ MORE: ‘World War Z’ Sequel Sets Summer 2017 Release Date
THR reports that Dennis Kelly, creator of the beloved U.K. series "Utopia," will take a whack at Knight’s screenplay. More than one writer working on a tentpole script is nothing new, but this intel has a bit of extra sauce on it. The trade reveals that ‘WWZ2’ director J.A. Bayona ("The Impossible") was actually courted to helm the "Jurassic World" sequel over at Universal. Unfortunately for him, his contract at Paramount wouldn’t allow him to take it on. However, in a bid to keep the filmmaker happy, the studio got activity going again on "World War Z 2."
No exact production start date has been revealed, but it’s probably a safe bet it’ll be in early 2016, as, next fall, Bayona will make the rounds with "A Monster Calls," which is already in the can. "World War Z 2" will open on June 9, 2017, the same day Fox once had pegged for their "Fantastic Four" followup. Something tells me Paramount has little to worry about.