Damon Lindelof To Rewrite Troubled Brad Pitt Zombie Film 'World War Z'
When it was revealed that Marc Forster's World War Z would need almost two months of reshoots, we all realized it was in deep trouble. Paramount has now hired a screenwriter to play savior: Damon Lindelof. The Prometheus and Star Trek screenwriter, who recently said he was done with movies after signing a new TV deal, apparently spoke too soon and has been called upon to help bolster the film's third act.
World War Z, based on the book by Max Brooks and written by Matthew Michael Carnahan, stars Brad Pitt as a scientist trying to solve a global zombie pandemic. Read more after the jump.The Hollywood Reporter broke this news, which will certainly rub a lot of people the wrong way in the wake of the release of Prometheus. Once again, Lindelof finds himself the object of geek venom as he's become the whipping boy for that film's perceived problems. (Which, to be fair, aren't all his fault.)
In this case though, World War Z obviously already has problems and, with the film pretty much in the can, Lindelof coming on with a fresh perspective should be a positive. There's no reason why Lindelof won't be able to come in, look at it with a fan's creative eye, and figure out a way to right the ship – as much as it can be fixed. And yes, we all know how people feel about Lindelof's ending of Lost.
The first signs of problems regarding World War Z was when it delayed from December 2012 to Summer 2013. With reshoots looking to happen in September or October, that release date still seems very attainable.
So what are your thoughts on this? Have you already written this film off? Paramount obviously hasn't as Lindelof doesn't come cheap and neither does a seven-week reshoot schedule, which is more or less than what a normal movie shoots for its entirety.