What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.

World War Z (1 Viewer)

Buddy Ball 2K3

Footballguy
Link

For anyone who's read Max Brooks' World War Z or his earlier The Zombie Survival Guide, a big-screen adaptation seemed, if not inevitable due to the problems inherent in adapting Brooks' episodic novel, then at least likely, especially with the continuing exploitation of the zombie sub-genre, e.g., The Walking Dead, a small-screen adaptation of Robert Kirkman's long-running comic-book series (a six-part first season will air on AMC later this year) and last fall's commercially and critically successful zombie-comedy (or "zom-com"), Zombieland. MTV's Rick Marshall has word that Brad Pitt has officially agreed to star in the World War Z adaptation, scheduled for a summer 2012 release.

If you haven't followed World War Z's progress from novel to (potentially) big screen closely, here's a brief summary:

Brad Pitt optioned World War Z from Brooks for his production company, Plan B Entertainment, three years ago. Pitt gave adaptation duties to J. Michael Straczynski, best known among science-fiction fans for creating, producing, and writing Babylon 5 and, among comic-book readers, a multi-year run writing The Amazing Spider-Man for Marvel Comics (Straczynski's currently writing Superman and Wonder Woman for DC Comics). Straczynski became a hot property after Clint Eastwood selected Straczynski's Changeling script to direct with Angelina Jolie in the lead role three years ago.

For the adaptation (later revised by Matthew Michael Carnahan), Straczynski had to find a way to tie the interview-based, multi-character novel (it's subtitled An Oral History of the Zombie War) into an overarching story arc. Straczynski created a new character, a journalist, presumably the character Pitt will now play. Both the novel and the screenplay follow the general rules for the sub-genre that George A. Romero defined (or rather re-defined) 42 years ago with Night of the Living Dead (e.g., a worldwide plague, ravenous, cannibalistic undead), but on a much larger, even epic scope. A longtime fan of the sub-genre, Brooks thought through the global implications of a rapidly spreading, nearly unstoppable plague. His novel focuses, disaster-style, on both the micro (personal) level and the macro (government/military response), pieced together through a series of interviews with the survivors.

Plan B Entertainment also picked up options on The Zombie Survival Guide and a related graphic novel, The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks. Additional information,( e.g., director, other cast members, start date, budget, locations, rating, etc.) isn't available, yet, but hopefully we'll hear more about World War Z over the next few days as San Diego Comic-Con ramps up.

Are you excited/unexcited for a big-screen adaptation of World War Z? Who would you like to see direct? Who else would you like to see in the cast? Would you accept a PG-13 rating to lower the risk for a potentially expensive production (all those locations, undead hordes, big action scenes) or is an R-rating non-negotiable?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Link

For anyone who's read Max Brooks' World War Z or his earlier The Zombie Survival Guide, a big-screen adaptation seemed, if not inevitable due to the problems inherent in adapting Brooks' episodic novel, then at least likely, especially with the continuing exploitation of the zombie sub-genre, e.g., The Walking Dead, a small-screen adaptation of Robert Kirkman's long-running comic-book series (a six-part first season will air on AMC later this year) and last fall's commercially and critically successful zombie-comedy (or "zom-com"), Zombieland. MTV's Rick Marshall has word that Brad Pitt has officially agreed to star in the World War Z adaptation, scheduled for a summer 2012 release.

If you haven't followed World War Z's progress from novel to (potentially) big screen closely, here's a brief summary:

Brad Pitt optioned World War Z from Brooks for his production company, Plan B Entertainment, three years ago. Pitt gave adaptation duties to J. Michael Straczynski, best known among science-fiction fans for creating, producing, and writing Babylon 5 and, among comic-book readers, a multi-year run writing The Amazing Spider-Man for Marvel Comics (Straczynski's currently writing Superman and Wonder Woman for DC Comics). Straczynski became a hot property after Clint Eastwood selected Straczynski's Changeling script to direct with Angelina Jolie in the lead role three years ago.

For the adaptation (later revised by Matthew Michael Carnahan), Straczynski had to find a way to tie the interview-based, multi-character novel (it's subtitled An Oral History of the Zombie War) into an overarching story arc. Straczynski created a new character, a journalist, presumably the character Pitt will now play. Both the novel and the screenplay follow the general rules for the sub-genre that George A. Romero defined (or rather re-defined) 42 years ago with Night of the Living Dead (e.g., a worldwide plague, ravenous, cannibalistic undead), but on a much larger, even epic scope. A longtime fan of the sub-genre, Brooks thought through the global implications of a rapidly spreading, nearly unstoppable plague. His novel focuses, disaster-style, on both the micro (personal) level and the macro (government/military response), pieced together through a series of interviews with the survivors.

Plan B Entertainment also picked up options on The Zombie Survival Guide and a related graphic novel, The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks. Additional information,( e.g., director, other cast members, start date, budget, locations, rating, etc.) isn't available, yet, but hopefully we'll hear more about World War Z over the next few days as San Diego Comic-Con ramps up.

Are you excited/unexcited for a big-screen adaptation of World War Z? Who would you like to see direct? Who else would you like to see in the cast? Would you accept a PG-13 rating to lower the risk for a potentially expensive production (all those locations, undead hordes, big action scenes) or is an R-rating non-negotiable?
How can he star? Isnt it a book with a bunch of different stories about the Zombie war that is tied together? Unless he is the reporter but there is no action for that dude.
 
It'll be interesting to see how they do this while staying true to the book - or if they're even going to try. Part of the allure of Brooks' book is the format and I wouldn't think that that format would work well in a stand-alone 2-3 hour film. I think it would do better as a series.

 
WWZ can't be done in a 2 hour movie. They missed their chance to do it as a series with the upcoming Walking Dead coming out on AMC beating them to the punch.

 
WWZ can't be done in a 2 hour movie. They missed their chance to do it as a series with the upcoming Walking Dead coming out on AMC beating them to the punch.
I agree. The scope of the book is so large even if they focus on just the political and military story lines they'd be better off breaking it into two or three movies. I hope they do this right, WWZ is one of my top books.
 
Link

For anyone who's read Max Brooks' World War Z or his earlier The Zombie Survival Guide, a big-screen adaptation seemed, if not inevitable due to the problems inherent in adapting Brooks' episodic novel, then at least likely, especially with the continuing exploitation of the zombie sub-genre, e.g., The Walking Dead, a small-screen adaptation of Robert Kirkman's long-running comic-book series (a six-part first season will air on AMC later this year) and last fall's commercially and critically successful zombie-comedy (or "zom-com"), Zombieland. MTV's Rick Marshall has word that Brad Pitt has officially agreed to star in the World War Z adaptation, scheduled for a summer 2012 release.

If you haven't followed World War Z's progress from novel to (potentially) big screen closely, here's a brief summary:

Brad Pitt optioned World War Z from Brooks for his production company, Plan B Entertainment, three years ago. Pitt gave adaptation duties to J. Michael Straczynski, best known among science-fiction fans for creating, producing, and writing Babylon 5 and, among comic-book readers, a multi-year run writing The Amazing Spider-Man for Marvel Comics (Straczynski's currently writing Superman and Wonder Woman for DC Comics). Straczynski became a hot property after Clint Eastwood selected Straczynski's Changeling script to direct with Angelina Jolie in the lead role three years ago.

For the adaptation (later revised by Matthew Michael Carnahan), Straczynski had to find a way to tie the interview-based, multi-character novel (it's subtitled An Oral History of the Zombie War) into an overarching story arc. Straczynski created a new character, a journalist, presumably the character Pitt will now play. Both the novel and the screenplay follow the general rules for the sub-genre that George A. Romero defined (or rather re-defined) 42 years ago with Night of the Living Dead (e.g., a worldwide plague, ravenous, cannibalistic undead), but on a much larger, even epic scope. A longtime fan of the sub-genre, Brooks thought through the global implications of a rapidly spreading, nearly unstoppable plague. His novel focuses, disaster-style, on both the micro (personal) level and the macro (government/military response), pieced together through a series of interviews with the survivors.

Plan B Entertainment also picked up options on The Zombie Survival Guide and a related graphic novel, The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks. Additional information,( e.g., director, other cast members, start date, budget, locations, rating, etc.) isn't available, yet, but hopefully we'll hear more about World War Z over the next few days as San Diego Comic-Con ramps up.

Are you excited/unexcited for a big-screen adaptation of World War Z? Who would you like to see direct? Who else would you like to see in the cast? Would you accept a PG-13 rating to lower the risk for a potentially expensive production (all those locations, undead hordes, big action scenes) or is an R-rating non-negotiable?
How can he star? Isnt it a book with a bunch of different stories about the Zombie war that is tied together? Unless he is the reporter but there is no action for that dude.
I am guessing he will be Todd Waino who has a prominent role in the book with a lot of action.And I agree with the other posters, i had hoped it would be a mini series on HBO. There is just too much for a 2 or 2 1/2 hour movie

 
If they just take a few entries, which would you most want to see them use?
Of course would have the Battle of Yonkers and Hope New Mexico. And I would hope they have the Chinese Submarine and the battle in the Catacombs under Paris would be very creepy.And I hope they get Alan Alda for Arthur Sinclair. He was fantastic in the audio book.
 
This is going to disappoint. The book is very good but there is way too much going on for a movie. I think the best way to do it would be to drop the "oral history" aspect of the book and inter cut the stories of about 6-7 characters. It will be a disaster if they try to stay true to the book so I hope that don't even try. It would be like taking the first 15 minutes of "District 9" and stretching it out over an entire movie.

 
The story will probably all take place in the US and they will incorporate stories from other countries like the kid from Japan and the rich sancuary and the Russian priest and have them set here. It'll go from Patient Zero to Yonkers. They'll probably relay a couple of stories as part of newscasts like the submarine and space station.

It'll never be as good as the book, but I'll be there...maybe opening night since my wife loves Brad Pitt.

 
If Brad Pitt is involved, this will probably be pretty good. I'll see it.

Edit: I agree with jamny that a feature film treatment is likely to focus on some sort of overall US story (outbreak, Phalanx, Yonkers, the US implementation of the Redeker plan, and maybe the recovery). I doubt the Chinese sub, the Japanese kid, the downed American pilot, and stuff like that make into the film as anything other than a tangential reference. That's fine though. I'm fairly open to however they choose to do this.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
The story will probably all take place in the US and they will incorporate stories from other countries like the kid from Japan and the rich sancuary and the Russian priest and have them set here. It'll go from Patient Zero to Yonkers. They'll probably relay a couple of stories as part of newscasts like the submarine and space station.It'll never be as good as the book, but I'll be there...maybe opening night since my wife loves Brad Pitt.
I agree the main focus will be the U.S. government, the political cover-up, the fake vaccine and the military response. I do think they need to show worldwide events to give the proper scope of the outbreak. This is World War Z, after all.To me, the most interesting aspects of the story are the big themes. Government ineptitude, corporate greed and military overconfidence. The commentary on social classes with the celebrity compound is a must. Of course the personal stories give it emotional impact, but the big issues are what will separate it from The Walking Dead and most other previous Zombie works.
 
I know zombies are the big fad now, but this will not work as a movie. I think a lot of people will be disappointed. As somebody else stated - it would've been good as a series, but it looks like that mini series on AMC beat them to the punch.

 
I know zombies are the big fad now, but this will not work as a movie. I think a lot of people will be disappointed. As somebody else stated - it would've been good as a series, but it looks like that mini series on AMC beat them to the punch.
Is Walking Dead just a mini series?
 
I know zombies are the big fad now, but this will not work as a movie. I think a lot of people will be disappointed. As somebody else stated - it would've been good as a series, but it looks like that mini series on AMC beat them to the punch.
Is Walking Dead just a mini series?
I could be wrong - but I thought it was 4 or 5 nights only, I don't think it's a new show.ETA: on imdb, it looks like 6 episodes are scheduled, but they are list as Season 1/episode 1, etc... looks like I am wrong. Maybe what I read is that they have shot 4 episodes or something...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I know zombies are the big fad now, but this will not work as a movie. I think a lot of people will be disappointed. As somebody else stated - it would've been good as a series, but it looks like that mini series on AMC beat them to the punch.
Is Walking Dead just a mini series?
I could be wrong - but I thought it was 4 or 5 nights only, I don't think it's a new show.ETA: on imdb, it looks like 6 episodes are scheduled, but they are list as Season 1/episode 1, etc... looks like I am wrong. Maybe what I read is that they have shot 4 episodes or something...
The Walking Dead is a full series.ETA: Sorry, was typing while you edited and didn't see it. But yes, the first "Season" is slated for six episodes. Guessing they are pretty expensive to make so AMC is hedging to see if it catches on.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I know zombies are the big fad now, but this will not work as a movie. I think a lot of people will be disappointed. As somebody else stated - it would've been good as a series, but it looks like that mini series on AMC beat them to the punch.
Is Walking Dead just a mini series?
I could be wrong - but I thought it was 4 or 5 nights only, I don't think it's a new show.ETA: on imdb, it looks like 6 episodes are scheduled, but they are list as Season 1/episode 1, etc... looks like I am wrong. Maybe what I read is that they have shot 4 episodes or something...
The Walking Dead is a full series.
:headbang: Can't wait!
 
This is going to disappoint. The book is very good but there is way too much going on for a movie. I think the best way to do it would be to drop the "oral history" aspect of the book and inter cut the stories of about 6-7 characters. It will be a disaster if they try to stay true to the book so I hope that don't even try. It would be like taking the first 15 minutes of "District 9" and stretching it out over an entire movie.
Those first 15 minutes of D9 seemed like 2 hours :wub: With all the zombie and vampire movies and shows coming out nowadays, I'm surprised we haven't gotten a vampire vs. zombie movie yet...

 
I just finished my re-read of this last night.

I had forgotten how good it was.

I have absolutely no hope for this movie though.

 
I just finished my re-read of this last night.I had forgotten how good it was.I have absolutely no hope for this movie though.
I just finished my first read of it after seeing it recommended in the Walking Dead thread. It seemed very schizophrenic to me until I got used to the interview styled narration. I ended up liking it a lot.
 
You guys all know that they are making this PG-13, right?

Also, the Pitt character is being changed into a U.N 'hero' who helps to contain the zombies.

This is going to be of EPIC suckage!!!!

 
I just finished my re-read of this last night.I had forgotten how good it was.I have absolutely no hope for this movie though.
Same here. Very impressed with the breadth and depth of his story as well as the telling of the story through completely unrelated recollections. No way the flick can come close.
 
WWZ can't be done in a 2 hour movie. They missed their chance to do it as a series with the upcoming Walking Dead coming out on AMC beating them to the punch.
Never read this, but if the scope is much wider and focuses more on gov't, military, etc, considering how popular zombie stuff is these days (and how much garbage is on network TV), there's probably enough room for 2 zombie TV series if this was done right.
 
You guys all know that they are making this PG-13, right?
Certainly should be rated R, but these days it seems the biggest different between PG13 and R is language and nudity/sex. Unless you have SAW-type gore or violence, there isnt much of a difference typically in the level of violence between the 2 in most recent movies that Ive seen. There are certainly reasons to be discouraged about how good this will be it would appear, but the rating would be the least of my worries.
 
I think people who are automatically assuming this will suck lack imagination. Yes, the book is pretty good, but its not Crime and Punishment. If they can make Fight Club into a film thats arguably better than the book it was drawn from, then they can definitely do the same for WWZ.

Not saying it won't suck. God know The Walking Dead sucks horribly despite the source material supposedly being solid. But the potential is there.

Edit: And this could easily be PG-13. The entire LOTR trilogy was PG-13 for crying out loud. If you just want a gore-fest, then frankly you missed the whole point of the book.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I think people who are automatically assuming this will suck lack imagination. Yes, the book is pretty good, but its not Crime and Punishment. If they can make Fight Club into a film thats arguably better than the book it was drawn from, then they can definitely do the same for WWZ. Not saying it won't suck. God know The Walking Dead sucks horribly despite the source material supposedly being solid. But the potential is there.Edit: And this could easily be PG-13. The entire LOTR trilogy was PG-13 for crying out loud. If you just want a gore-fest, then frankly you missed the whole point of the book.
1. Fight Club movie was not better than the book. If you think it was, I feel that you missed the point.2. WWZ is a hardcore horror book. The situations are terrifying. A comparison to LOTR is idiotic seeing that it is a totally different genre. Hard R is the way to go here and any holding back is not worth it at all.
 
I think people who are automatically assuming this will suck lack imagination. Yes, the book is pretty good, but its not Crime and Punishment. If they can make Fight Club into a film thats arguably better than the book it was drawn from, then they can definitely do the same for WWZ. Not saying it won't suck. God know The Walking Dead sucks horribly despite the source material supposedly being solid. But the potential is there.Edit: And this could easily be PG-13. The entire LOTR trilogy was PG-13 for crying out loud. If you just want a gore-fest, then frankly you missed the whole point of the book.
1. Fight Club movie was not better than the book. If you think it was, I feel that you missed the point.2. WWZ is a hardcore horror book. The situations are terrifying. A comparison to LOTR is idiotic seeing that it is a totally different genre. Hard R is the way to go here and any holding back is not worth it at all.
Some suspense/thrillers that are related to horror have terrifying situations, no? Most of the "hardcore horror" films Ive seen I dont find as scary as other films that put the characters as well as the viewer in a truly scary situation.The Ring was PG13 and I thought it was plenty terrifying.
 
Just finished listening to it on audiobook. Awesome book. Then I found out that it was the abridged version. :wall:

 
Just finished listening to it on audiobook. Awesome book. Then I found out that it was the abridged version. :wall:
Yeah, there are some parts missing, but the cast is incredible. Alan Alda, Henry Rollins and even Mark Hamill do a great job
Alda was fantastic. Battle of Yonkers was nuts. Are there any parts that you know of in the book that are not in the audiobook that I should go back and read? Or should I just move onto the Zombie Survival Guide?
 
Just finished listening to it on audiobook. Awesome book. Then I found out that it was the abridged version. :wall:
Yeah, there are some parts missing, but the cast is incredible. Alan Alda, Henry Rollins and even Mark Hamill do a great job
Alda was fantastic. Battle of Yonkers was nuts. Are there any parts that you know of in the book that are not in the audiobook that I should go back and read? Or should I just move onto the Zombie Survival Guide?
Zombie guide is very boring except for the appendix in the back that talks about Zombie outbreaks since the beginning of time.Yes, two creepy chapters (The Canadian drug agents near the beginning and the Battle under Paris). And the Chinese Submarine adventures is probably the longest section but a great read
 
Lets see: Clips from Dawn of the Dead, 28 Months Later, SeVen, Resident Evil, I am legend, The Road, Deep Impact...Not for WWZ.

 
http://twitchfilm.co...n-the-works.php

WORLD WAR Z IN A WORLD OF TROUBLE: MAJOR RESHOOTS AND A DAMON LINDELOF REWRITE IN THE WORKS



Marc Forster's World War Z is in a world of trouble. After a lengthy struggle to get the project off the ground at Paramount, Forster shot the film with a cast anchored by Brad Pitt in 2011. Principal photography has been done for ages and the film should be well into the post production process at this point, prepping for its planned December release.

The first sign of trouble came when that release was pushed back six months to June of 2013. That's a big push, but not unheard of. But then word start to circulate through the British tabloids that Pitt and the principal cast were being called back for extensive reshoots. Again, reshoots are not that uncommon but according to reports the cast was being brought back for a whopping seven weeks of reshoots - a time commitment longer than most films' entire principal photography schedule. If these reports are accurate - again, they came through the UK tabloids, which is why we didn't repeat them - then this is a sign not of a few scenes that need tweaking but of major, major changes.

And now that shoe has well and truly dropped: The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Prometheus scribe Damon Lindelof has been brought on to rewrite the script with particular attention apparently being paid to the final act.

Even if this works out this is disastrous for what was already an expensive, high risk movie. The cost overruns involved in doing this sort of work are staggering and the studio doing so a sure sign that they are in damage control mode. This is about stopping the bleeding.
 
Just finished listening to it on audiobook. Awesome book. Then I found out that it was the abridged version. :wall:
Yeah, there are some parts missing, but the cast is incredible. Alan Alda, Henry Rollins and even Mark Hamill do a great job
I haven't read the novel, but I thought the audio book was kinda boring...which is weird because this should be right up my alley.I don't know, it didn't seem that interesting to me. Nothing happened.
 
http://twitchfilm.co...n-the-works.php

WORLD WAR Z IN A WORLD OF TROUBLE: MAJOR RESHOOTS AND A DAMON LINDELOF REWRITE IN THE WORKS



Marc Forster's World War Z is in a world of trouble. After a lengthy struggle to get the project off the ground at Paramount, Forster shot the film with a cast anchored by Brad Pitt in 2011. Principal photography has been done for ages and the film should be well into the post production process at this point, prepping for its planned December release.

The first sign of trouble came when that release was pushed back six months to June of 2013. That's a big push, but not unheard of. But then word start to circulate through the British tabloids that Pitt and the principal cast were being called back for extensive reshoots. Again, reshoots are not that uncommon but according to reports the cast was being brought back for a whopping seven weeks of reshoots - a time commitment longer than most films' entire principal photography schedule. If these reports are accurate - again, they came through the UK tabloids, which is why we didn't repeat them - then this is a sign not of a few scenes that need tweaking but of major, major changes.

And now that shoe has well and truly dropped: The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Prometheus scribe Damon Lindelof has been brought on to rewrite the script with particular attention apparently being paid to the final act.

Even if this works out this is disastrous for what was already an expensive, high risk movie. The cost overruns involved in doing this sort of work are staggering and the studio doing so a sure sign that they are in damage control mode. This is about stopping the bleeding.
The window for this to be epic closed a long time ago. This should have been an HBO series or 3 movies like LOTR. No way on Gods Green Earth could a 2 hour movie do this justice.
 
I really hope it doesn't suck. It probably will be OK, but the only thing it will have in common with the book will be the title :(

 
Yeah, what the hell is that? Looked like a swarm of nanobots from GI Joe that eats everything in its path.I can already say that if that is the premise, it is going to suck. Might as well be a Michael Bay zombie movie.

ETA: I am OK with "zombies" like 28 days later where they become hyper aggresive attackers, but I can't stand when you see stuff like that remake of Dawn of the Dead where they become super human (i.e. like the morbidly obese woman in the mall that becomes an NFL linebacker. Watching the zombie horde become organized enough to climb a building is on the silly side.

 
Last edited by a moderator:

Users who are viewing this thread

Top