Surprisingly, one of the biggest troubles that the "World War Z" sequel has faced during its roller coaster development has been its challenge to find a filmmaker to helm it. One might expect Marc Forster to be back behind the camera, but while he was originally involved, he exited the project in late 2013. No reason was given, though unconfirmed rumors have suggested a clash with star Brad Pitt.
Almost immediately, though, director J.A. Bayona boarded the project off the strength of his work on "The Impossible" with Naomi Watts. Then, in 2016, the studio began pushing him hard to start production that summer, but according to the director, he needed more time. "There was a moment where we were about to start production, and I wasn't ready," Bayona told Den of Geek, adding, "We were very excited with the direction we were taking with the film, but somehow, we never found a way to connect it all together." Describing his departure, Bayona explained, "I said, 'Listen, I'm not the right guy for this. ... So I decided to step out of the project."
Perhaps they should have given Bayona the extra time he needed because it took almost a year for them to find a new director. After some serious lobbying from star Brad Pitt, Paramount turned to the film's executive producer, David Fincher, inking him to a deal to direct in April 2017. But the sequel went back into limbo with no director attached after being derailed by Quentin Tarantino. Wait, what?
