13 Years Later, Brad Pitt is Officially Back for Sequel to His 2013 Zombie Apocalypse Hit

Published Sep 18, 2026, 2:31 PM EDT World War Z is a franchise Paramount is now prioritizing Brad Pitt in World War ZPhoto: Jaap Buitendijk/Paramount Pictures Sign in to your Polygon.com account Brad Pitt is ready for more zombie-filled adventures. On Friday, Paramount Pictures officially announced Pitt will return for a sequel to World War Z, the 2013 zombie apocalypse movie that made over $540 million at the worldwide box office. Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front, Conclave) has signed on to direct. The World War Z sequel will reunite the pair after Pitt starred in Berger's upcoming The Riders, which recently finished shooting. According to Deadline, Pitt pitched Berger on a World War Z sequel early on while filming The Riders. "By end of production, Berger was on board and in recent weeks the studio was able to close the deal with both talents to board the project," Deadline reported. Paramount has not shared any details about the new movie's plot at this time. The original World War Z adapted Max Brooks' 2006 novel of the same name. A sequel was planned after World War Z's successful box office run, and even given a 2017 release date, but never entered production. Like so many Hollywood movies, it got stuck in development hell, and was ultimately canceled. At CinemaCon in April, Paramount announced a World War Z sequel was in the works, but didn't share any details beyond that. Reportedly, World War Z was one of three franchises (along with Top Gun and Star Trek) Paramount was looking to prioritize for the big screen. Horror movies have had strong returns at the box office this year, like Backrooms and Obsession, so it's not surprising Paramount wants to revive an established scary IP. However, zombie movies can be a bit hit-or-miss, as evidenced by 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple losing money. (Word of advice for Paramount: maybe don't release the next World War Z into the dead zone that is January.) Zombie flick Resident Evil is currently in theaters, and looks to ride a wave of positive reviews toward a strong box office performance this weekend.