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EXCLUSIVE: While reports had Damon Lindelof coming in to write a new ending to the Marc Forster-directed Brad Pitt-starrer World War Z, it actually was his Lost compadre Drew Goddard who did the bulk of the writing of the finale. Lindelof, who reworked Prometheus and co-wrote the Star Trek sequel, cracked a potential new ending of the film, but Lindelof didn’t have time to do the scripting so that task fell to Goddard, who most recently adapted Robopocalypse, which is Steven Spielberg’s next film at DreamWorks.
Related:‘World War Z’ Author, Movie Poster Maestro Drew Struzan Highlight Sunday Comic-Con
Both of those guys are off to other projects, so it’s quite possible that Paramount will tap another writer to punch up this ending — if the studio decides to use it. I’m hearing Christopher McQuarrie, whom the studio is high on after he adapted and directed Tom Cruise in Jack Reacher, based on the Lee Child novels. That isn’t set in stone because McQuarrie is Cruise’s go-to guy and he will be doing some script work on All You Need Is Kill, the Doug Liman-directed action film that Cruise will next star in after he completes Oblivion. So it is questionable whether he will be available or whether Paramount will need him. No date has been set for the reshoots that will be needed to implement the new ending, but insiders say Forster will be shooting those scenes.
Much has been written about the problems on WWZ, and while those problems are legitimate ones, that doesn’t mean this movie is going to be a train wreck. It’s based on a superb Max Brooks novel, and the angle — looking back on the thwarting of a zombie apocalypse — is an original one. There is still a lot to be excited about here.
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It’ll be exciting to see if it is a train wreck or not because it’s been a while since I read this many problems about one project.
It really does not inspire confidence if they have had to re-crack the ending and can’t seem to find anyone to then write it. Plus lengthy reshoots and date changes.
I too hope this film turns out well, because I really enjoy a good zombie flick, but Marc Forster? Who thought that was a good idea? “Hey we are making Max Brooks awesome zombie apocalypse novel “World War Z” into a large scale big budget motion picture starring Brad Pitt, you know who would be a good director for that? The guy who directed “Monsters Ball” and “Finding Neverland” two small scale (boring) human dramas. Oh right he also directed the big budget James Bond pic “Quantum of Solace”, yeah sure I remember that one, it was AWFUL, possibly the worst James Bond movie ever! Totally derailed the good will generated by “Casino Royale” a brilliant rebooting of the Bond franchise starring a terrific new Bond. Yeah lets hire him, I’m sure everything will work out perfectly!” I’m sure the cast and crew just loves sitting around twiddling their thumbs while this guy scratches his head trying to figure out what he’s doing in charge of this project.
Brad Pitt thought it was a good idea. He specifically picked him.
I’m sorry you weren’t cast in movie. That’s no reason to whine like a mule.
At this point, it’s not so much reshoots as refilming, eh? I mean, seven plus weeks of reshoots – that’s an entire movie. I suspect they’re just trying to hide the fact that they’re scrapping much of the original film.
Of course they had to rewrite the ending. The joy of zombies movies is that anyone and everyone might die. But if you’re hero is looking back on the events of the zombie attack which all happened IN THE PAST, then you know he didn’t die.
Maybe they decided to do an ending like Savages where he died but he didn’t die.
Maybe he’s actually been a zombie all along, but he was one that could read, write and fly on a plain to China.
Or maybe he just sees dead people.
Lindelof would’ve ended this with Jesus, Siddhartha, and Muhammad zombies all sliding in on a rainbow to save the day in some faux-spiritual bullshit ending.
Glad he didn’t have time to finish this.
It might be an OK movie, but they should have not bought the book if they didn’t even intend to have one scene match.
Reminds me of the old CLUE movie with Tim Curry, based on the board game, which was released with four different endings — proving that the story arc was valueless and built to nothing, if you could bolt on whatever ending you wished.
“Lindelof, who reworked Prometheus”
Oh, lord, so it’s HIS fault!
What a patchwork of disjointed and incredibly silly set pieces THAT was.
It’s in WWZ’s favor that he wasn’t retained for his services. Good grief.
I think Lindlelof is probably getting beat up enough right now and probably doesn’t want to be associated with this one given that it could be a bomb. I don’t blame him and I think it’s the smart move to back off. I’ve been a critic of DL these past couple years but I think he’s recieved the message and I think/hope he’s going to evolve. Let’s just take it down a notch with the Lindlelof bashing. Now it’s become way way beyond overkill, guys.
Yeah come on you guys, Ben is right, stop being such meanies to Damon Lindelof, he probably monitors the Deadline comments 24/7 and is practically suicidal over everyone pointing out the fact that the script to “Prometheus’ was an incredibly disappointing incomprehensible mess and a half, kinda like “Lost”. Lets all lie and say it was super awesome so he doesn’t get his feelings hurt. I just hope the fact he is rich and has more projects on his plate than he can handle makes him feel an eentsy bit better about himself.
Lost was amazing, I have no idea why its now supposedly “cool” to think that Lost sucked because it had a weak ending. Not many shows remain that strong for so many years, and for several years Lost was the hottest thing on TV.
Rewatch Lost if you have forgotten what a great piece of TV that is.
Sweden, Nobody’s disputing LOST was great TV, but when you devote all those hours to a show, sticking with it when it got weird, giving up and getting back to it again, you want ANSWERS and RESOLUTION.
It’s called a DENOUEMENT.
LOST’s sucked.
Then PROMETHEUS sucked.
Who’s the common factor here?
Your overinflated expectations?
Agreed: “Lost”s ending and final season made the entire series an incredible waste of time. There’s no way I could recommend that show to anyone who’s never seen it knowing full well how it wrapped up. “Prometheus” gave me that identical sinking feeling as I watched it, that feeling that “this is going nowhere”. I generally avoid the Lindelof brand these days, but fear not: he will continue to generate millions of dollars (just not from my pocketbook, is all).
Fuck Lindelof. Big concepts, but he can’t stick a landing. Star Trek will probably suck, too. If he doesn’t like my post, he can dry his tears with all the $100 bills from his new writing deal while people with way more talent are out here delivering pizzas and putting up drywall in a recession. Failing up, what a concept.
Glad Goddard is now writing the ending. I liked Cloverfield. I just might end up leaving the theater satisfied.
I hated ‘Prometheus’ as much as anyone, but I am getting a little sick of the Lindelof-bashing. Ridley Scott shepherded the project, rejected another script and approved the Lindelof draft, talking up its ‘big ideas’ to the press.
I am not saying that Lindelof should be left off the hook, I just think he’s that maybe the filmmaker behind ‘Legend’, ‘G.I. Jane’, ‘White Squal’, ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’, ‘Black Rain’, ‘Robin Hood’, ‘Hannibal’ and ‘A Good Year’ (and, arguably, others) might not be the greatest storyteller in the world, too.
Prometheus was great, but you suck mr. knowitall.
I am still waiting to see any scenes from the movie that match the book. It appears to me to more resemble 12 Monkeys than it does WWZ and since Pitt was in both….
We’ve decided to end it without any ending at all we’ll just put up a “To Be Continued” and fade out. The movie will be 90 minutes instead of 110 minutes and we release the sequel a year later and the ending will become the beginning of part two. We’re always thinking here at Fake Paramount.
Just make sure to split the part two into two parts, because there is nothing more the audience likes than seeing the final film split into two separate films like that.
Why not release the sequel first then release the original as a prequel and do a new sequel as a reboot after the second trilogy closes.
Any idea what the final budget will be after the re shoots and the platoon of screenwriters has gone through the revolving door?
Several problems from the get-go– the Running Zombies are ridiculous and NOT from the novel. Some film exec read a novel about a global epidemic told from multiple points of view from various countries, and said that’s stupid– let’s make it a starring vehicle for Brad Pitt! Oh, and let’s be more like 28 Days Later and Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead!
In the excellent novel, there’s terrifying sequences set in third world countries, a major US city falls because the zombies JUST KEEP COMING, there’s a sequence in India that is the most harrowing and awful and epic thing ever as the ports are swarmed by the zombies and no one can get out to the ships, even amazing shit like “what happens on a nuclear sub during a zombie epidemic.”
They shitcanned all that made the book unique and different from Romero and the Walking Dead, and instead made it a Brad Pitt kicks ass movie, with zombies out of a Zack Snyder film.
Whoever had those ideas to “improve” the novel, instead of figuring out a clever way to crack a complex, terrifying narrative in a way that a mainstream audience would get it– needs to be fired for stupidity, low IQ, and bad taste.
And now they’re trying to polish this turd with a lousy director that didn’t really love the book in the first place.
You are right about everything we went for the easy marketing hook and now we are regretting ever making this movie. Adam Goodman has to be fired over this debacle. The budget will be at least 250 million when all of it is added up. This is John Carter for Viacom it will be a giant loss and Adam will soon be setting up shop as a producer here.
it’s not all adam, but he does employ incompetent subordinates.
Low blow to John Carter, it at least was a good movie with a coherent plot and good actors. Not to mention a great ending.
Here’s a thought: use the ending in the boo. You know, that thing the Studio spent all that money acquiring the rights to and which as a cult following. What’s the point of adapting a novel just to trash it?
Think how great the DVD will be with four different endings and two complete versions of the film. That’s where the real money is, theatrical release is just a way to get people excited about buying the DVD.
But if you’re hero is looking back on the events of the zombie attack which all happened IN THE PAST, then you know he didn’t die.
He could die and then rise as a zombie. Plenty of room for a writer.