HOME TRAILERS 2013 SCHEDULE PODCASTS REVIEWS POSTERS INTERVIEWS SHORT FILMS NEWS FEEDS ABOUT APPS

LATEST NEWS

Drew Goddard Wrote a New 'World War Z' Ending, But Will It Stick?

by Ethan Anderton
July 11, 2012
Source: Deadline

The talk surrounding Marc Forster's adaptation of Max Brooks' sci-fi novel World War Z has not been good. Seven weeks of reshoots were scheduled back in June and then Damon Lindelof was brought in to help rework the script, including cracking a new ending. However, Lindelof is a pretty busy guy, so he couldn't get down to writing the actual screenplay himself. Now Deadline says Cabin in the Woods writer Drew Goddard was brought in to script the actual proposed ending, but apparently Paramount isn't sure they want to use it, though we're not certain why. So what's the solution? Likely bringing in another writer.

Apparently Bryan Singer's frequent collaborator Christopher McQuarrie (who's also making his directorial debut with Jack Reacher) is being eyed to come in and do some work on the script as well. However, McQuarrie also has a responsibility to another Tom Cruise led film, All You Need is Kill, so he might not have time. Either way, it's clear this movie is nothing short of a clusterfuck right now, not unlike the woes that plagued Men in Black 3 in February of 2011. Of course, that film turned out to be a huge hit, despite some glaring plot holes, so maybe all these high profile writers will combine their powers to save World War Z. After all, Goddard really shook up the genre in Cabin in the Woods, so there might be hope.

Filed under Development, Movie News

From around the web:

Buzzfunk

"Damon Lindelof was called in to help..." AHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH That is such an oxymoron. That guy CANNOT write a good script. He can't. Plain and simple. He is one of the most overrated writer making money in Hollywood. He should thank his lucky star while he can. On top of that, on twitter that guy is a complete douche. He just doesn't realize it...
grimjob

I've actually grown tired of hearing about this movie. Its always the same bullshit. I used to be SO excited for this, now I roll my eyes everytime it's in a heading and think, "Now what?". Fucking shame. I wonder what Brooks thinks about all this? I'd be embarrassed if my property was being tossed around like this, knowing all my fans were probably going to get screwed over in the end.
- LosZombies
  
  Really wish he had more of a say...or signed on as some sort of producer at least. This shit-spawn of a movie is officially in no relation to the book what so ever in my eyes.
LosZombies

Crack a new ending?? Theres only one ending to the godamned book! How hard is it to just go with it!? Damn whoever is responsible for butchering WWZ!! >.<"""
- http://twitter.com/incarnedine_v Dan Hibiki
  
  you assume there is anything resembling the events of WWZ in this movie
  - LosZombies
    
    at this point, NOTHING resembles the book bro.
eurogibbon

Christopher McQuarrie made his directing debut with Way of the Gun, back in 2000.
- grimjob
  
  Great movie!
SuicidalOptimist

For me the whole project went down the shitter the moment they moved away from the book's original narrative. I understand that they probably wanted to distance themselves from the idea of found-footage, but if there ever was a story that lent itself to that format, I think it would have been this one. I mean, all these eyewitness accounts would have been perfect for this, especially all the parts with the army involved. They could have gone wild with security cams, tourist footage, soldier's helmet cams and whatnot. Just imagine the whole canine unit thing towards the end, with nightvision on the doggies...*bites nails* Oh well, at this point I stopped caring about this movie.
- grimjob
  
  God, the canine section was fucking sweet! That's one thing I loved about this book, it used aspects of life that you wouldn't normally see portrayed in this setting, things you wouldn't usually think of to use in a story like this. Fuck this movie.
- LosZombies
  
  Imagine how awesome the Battle of Yonkers would have been with those helmet cams... pisses me off just thinkin about...
  - SuicidalOptimist
    
    Ugh, yes! We need to stop talking about it. I'm just getting more and more frustrated, lol.
zey

Never really understood the draw of the book. To me it felt like reading a series of magazine article interviews, not a novel.
- grimjob
  
  That's kind of the draw, the realistic portrayal of a fictitious occurence. It very easily could have been magazine interviews, and that's what made it feel as if it all really happened, which to me was incredibly effective. But, to each his own.