Screenwriter Drew Goddard Responds to World War Z Rumors
Posted 08.01.12 by Ryan
Paramount's zombie epic World War Z has been the subject of several distressing rumors of late, starting when the adaptation of Max Brooks' best-selling novel was pushed from its December release date to June 21, 2013. Then came reports of reshoots, followed by word of script trouble, with the studio bringing in screenwriters Damon Lindelof (Lost, Prometheus) and Drew Goddard (co-writer and director of Cabin in the Woods) to help fix the movie's ending. Last month, the latest trouble was a rift between lead actor Brad Pitt and director Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace), who reportedly are no longer on speaking terms.
Goddard has finally spoken publicly about his involvement in World War Z and admitted to Collider that the rumors of trouble surrounding the project have been "blown out of proportion."
I think a lot of that got blown out of proportion. It really was like, they asked me to come look at the movie and give ideas on how to help, and that’s what happened. That happens all the time, I don’t know why this got blown up with World War Z and it suddenly became a big thing. I think it’s the sort of thing that happens with screenwriters all the time where you give your ideas on what could help, you write some scenes for people... I feel bad for the sort of magnifying glass that that movie’s under because this is just a normal part of the process, this is just what happens... My involvement was just watch the movie, give some ideas, write some scenes that might help, some ADR, just sort of fill in stuff, which is what I did.
Goddard wouldn't reveal much more about the movie, including how the book, which is a compilation of fictional interviews from survivors of a zombie apocalypse, was turned into a movie. "Out of respect for the filmmakers, I don't want to say too much about World War Z," said Goddard. "All I can say is some of the stuff I saw is mind-blowing."
Originally adapted by screenwriter Matthew Michael Carnahan (The Kingdom), World War Z will star Pitt as U.N. Employee Gerry Lane
who "traverses the world in a race against time to stop the Zombie pandemic." In January, Pitt and Mireille Enos (The Killing), who plays Pitt's wife in the movie, were talking about World War Z as a possible trilogy, while Forster said last September that the movie will stay true to "the spirit of the book." Whether the final product is the start of a franchise or pleases the novel's legion of fans remains to be seen.