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For anyone who’s read Max Brooks’ World War Z](World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War: Brooks, Max: 8937485910123: Amazon.com: Books) or his earlier The Zombie Survival Guide](The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead: Brooks, Max: 9781400049622: Amazon.com: Books), 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 Pitthas 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.
Continue reading Brad Pitt to Star in ‘World War Z’ Adaptation