World War Z Sequel Was “A Little Like The Last Of Us,” David Fincher Says

Oscar-nominated director David Fincher was at one point lined up to direct a sequel to the 2013 zombie movie World War Z starring Brad Pitt. It never happened, but Fincher has now shared some insight into what he was thinking about, and it was going to be similar to HBO’s The Last of Us.

Fincher told GQ, “Well, it was a little like The Last of Us.” He said he now feels glad that his World War Z sequel never materialized, because “The Last of Us has a lot more real estate to explore the same stuff.”

He added that the title sequence for his World War Z sequel was going to use “the little parasite” that HBO used in The Last of Us’ own opening title sequence.

World War Z made more than $540 million worldwide at the box office. A sequel never happened, though, in part due to the busy schedules of Pitt and Fincher, as well as concerns about the reported budget of $190 million. Additionally, China’s ban on movies featuring zombies reportedly played a role in the decision to not move ahead with a sequel.

The film was based on the 2006 book World War Z by Max Brooks and was directed by Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace, Monster’s Ball). A World War Z video game from Saber Interactive was released in 2019.

Fincher’s next film, The Killer, comes to theaters on October 27 ahead of a release on Netflix in November. As for The Last of Us, Season 2 is now in the works, but it might not be here until 2025 at the soonest.