Directed by Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace), the film is based on “World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War,” a bestselling novel by Max Brooks (son of comedic director Mel Brooks). It’s a detailed anthology of interviews in the aftermath of a zombie outbreak, offering many different perspectives from survivors. The film takes a different approach and throws us right into the middle of the action, focusing on Brad Pitt and his quest to save humanity.
The trailer flings you into the midst of a violent global crisis. A horrible virus is wiping out the world’s population, and scientists are scrambling to find a cure. Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) is a United Nations employee on a worldwide mission the find the source of the disease.
The virus spreads rapidly, reanimating its victims into raging, high-speed zombies. If you’re bitten, the “zombie-fication” process takes only 12 seconds. These creatures seem to understand the merits of teamwork, as they assemble into gigantic hordes to overtake buses, walls, buildings, armies, and anything in their path. Even helicopters and jets are not safe when the zombies start swarming.
The film’s lens work was handled by 3-time Academy Award winner Robert Richardson, ASC (Django Unchained), which was paired with terrifying zombie effects from visual effects supervisor Matt Johnson (X-Men: First Class) and the VFX teams at Cinesite (Skyfall) and The Moving Picture Company (Skyfall). The audio tracks were recorded by production sound mixers Tim Fraser (Clash of the Titans), Stuart Wilson (Warhorse), and Mac Ruth (Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters) with boom operators Orin Beaton (Skyfall), Lloyd Dudley (Skyfall), György Mihályi (In the Land of Blood and Honey).
The production has been through multiple rewrites and re-shoots with an ending that still remains a mystery… Will Brad Pitt triumph over the zombie menace? You’ll have to wait and see. Catch it in theaters on June 21, 2013.