After a turbulent production that saw several rounds of reshoots, script rewrites and a sixth month delay from its original release date, Brad Pitt's zombie epic World War Z was tipped to be one of the biggest box office disasters of 2013.However, the Marc Forster-directed film has shrugged aside any production difficulties to enjoy a bumper opening and a warm critical reception, so it will come as little surprise to learn that Paramount Pictures is reviving its plans to turn the book adaptation into a tentpole franchise.
According to The Hollywood Reporter Paramount "will actively turn to developing a sequel" off the back of a lucrative opening weekend which has saw World War Z pulling in $66 million Stateside - a career best for Pitt, and the biggest opening for an original property since James Cameron's Avatar back in 2009. Throw in an addition $45.8 million from international markets and the blockbuster is already well on its way to recovering a chunk of its hefty $190 million production budget after just three days on screens.
World War Z is out now in cinemas. Read our ★★★★ review here.