Director Juan Antonio Bayona Departs World War Z Sequel
John Squires
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Behind-the-scenes issues plagued the production of 2013 zombie film World War Z, and now that the sequel is in the works, it’s beginning to feel like the franchise may be cursed. According to the latest reports, World War Z 2 has just lost its director, right as filming was about to begin.
Per Deadline, Juan Antonio Bayona (The Orphanage) has exited as director of the sequel, and the abrupt departure is being attributed to timing. Paramount and Plan B want the film in theaters on June 9, 2017, and Bayona needed more time to work on the film he just shot, A Monster Calls.
“Bayona is no longer able to make World War Z 2 this year, and it is our ambition to do so,” said Paramount. “He is a wonderful director, and we hope to work with him soon.”
World War Z 2 is still scheduled for release on June 9, 2017. The script was written by Steven Knight and Dennis Kelly.
Brad Pitt, in addition to reprising his role as Gerry Lane, is producing alongside Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Ian Bryce, and Skydance’s David Ellison. Skydance Productions is co-producing and co-financing the film.
We’ll of course report more on this one as we learn it.
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