The movie Brad Pitt has always been proud of
The only way to move ahead in Hollywood is by never looking back. Until, of course, you’re Brad Pitt and your resume is itself a Hall of Fame. Every A-lister who enters Tinseltown with a head full of dreams has certain Hollywood artists whom they look up to. But ask whoever you may, Pitt is probably a name that inspires everyone. Although he has put his blood and sweat into every single project, there’s a movie that he was particularly proud of: World War Z, which is currently on an upswing on Netflix charts.
Over a decade since its original release in 2013, World War Z is rising on the Netflix charts. Call it the Brad Pitt effect or the F1 fever, the film is undeniably a Netflix favourite at this point. But it turns out that Pitt has always had a soft corner for World War Z, and for good reason. The project was a departure from the type of movies the actor was famous for helming back in the day. Moreover, it was released six months after the original release date due to reshoots and scripting a fresh conclusion.
For those unaware, World War Z is Marc Forster’s action-horror film, starring Pitt as Gerry Lane. Gerry is a former UN investigator who embarks on a mission across the globe to find a resolution amid the breakout of an unexpected zombie apocalypse. The film is based on Max Brooks’ 2006 novel. In a conversation with USA Today in 2013, Pitt declared, “Listen, I’m pretty proud of this film.”
With World War Z, fans eagerly anticipated the revival of the zombie genre. And as expected, the film was a massive commercial success, grossing over $540million worldwide. It was additionally crowned the highest-grossing zombie movie of all time. Although it was delayed, reflecting on the whole ordeal of reshoots, he added, “I’ve really enjoyed, especially this last six months, getting back in there and fixing it.”
In all honesty, Pitt didn’t really like every aspect of the film. Weighing on his World War Z’s character name, the actor said, “One of the worst names in film ever.” However, he quickly doubled down on that despite his reservations about it; the name just fit the picture. “He’s the anti-action hero. It’s an anti-action hero name,” he quipped. Pitt’s interest in the World War Z adaptation dates back to 2006 when his production company, Plan B, optioned Brooks’ novel.
It was the SARS-like theme that attracted him, alongside the geopolitical aftermath of the zombie apocalypse. Forster and Pitt were already aware that with World War Z, they were stepping into a genre that had churned out quite a few blockbusters. In any case, failure was not an option because doing justice to the genre was a priority. However, Pitt clarified, “We’re not the gore of The Walking Dead. Ours operates more of as a thriller.”
Pitt’s star power was undoubtedly crucial for the success and execution of World War Z. However, Forster seized the opportunity to praise his contributions as a producer. Not only was he an “inspiration,” but his sensibility in filmography was elemental in formulating like-minded decisions.