It always raises eyebrows when a film need extensive reshoots, as it suggests a film’s in trouble (but not always). However if a script needs major rewriting for those reshoots, it’s pretty much a guarantee a film is under major stress (although with more hope the problem can actually be sorted).
That’s what’s happening with the Brad Pitt starrer World War Z, as Prometheus screenwriter Damon Lindelof has been hired to rewrite the script for World War Z, before the zombie project undergoes extensive reshoots.
Back in March Paramount pushed the adaptation of Max Brooks’ novel from a December 21 release to June 21, 2013, and more recently it’s been revealed the reson for the delay is because of the need for around seven weeks of reshoots. Lindelof will reportedly focus his script work on the third act, although no specific story details were given. The reshoots will commence in September or October. Matthew Michael Carnahan wrote the initial screenplay.
Marc Forster is directing a cast that includes Brad Pitt, Matthew Fox, Mireille Enos, and James Badge Dale. The story revolves around a United Nations worker (Brad Pitt) who travels the world, interviewing the few human survivors of a worldwide zombie apocalypse.
Although this news is worrying, it’s doesn’t mean the finished film will be a disaster. After all, Men In Black III’s script was so problematic they shut down production partway through filming to sort it out, and that’s turned out to be a decent success. (Source: THR)