“[Director Marc] Forster and Paramount Pictures each view World War Z as a trilogy that would have the grounded, gun-metal realism of, say, Damon’s Jason Bourne series tethered to the unsettling end-times vibe of AMC‘s The Walking Dead.“

So, like zombie parkour? I guess I’m into it.

Of course, this all depends on how the film does at the box office when it’s released at the end of this year. Many feel that the zombie trend is wearing out, but if so it’s dying a really slow death with upticks and booms in popularity. The success of The Walking Dead despite its redundancy and slow plotting is proof that the zombie soup hasn’t been completely pissed in yet. We’ll wait for The Asylum to release World War Zombies before making that call.

“This morning a private plane brought guns wrapped in a parcel from a company to an individual [in Budapest],” said Hungary’s Anti-Terrorism officials. “Guns like these are highly illegal to transport even if they were to used as stage guns, which hopefully they weren’t.”

Officials need to handle this threat more seriously. If those weapons fall into the wrong hands then the undead will easily overtake Budapest and then all of Hungary. The key to defeating the zombie menace lies in preparation. If we all band together as a global army and put our differences aside, we can send those geeks back to their graves. (Us)

It’s your move, Sean Penn.

After some concern that the production wouldn’t go forward due to funding issues, it looks like we’ve got some definitive proof that it’s being made. I see cameras and everything.

Or course, we’ve got Brad Pitt donning his most handsome Spy Game-esque expat fashions, but beyond that, there are no readily recognizable faces or characters. Or zombies for that matter. Huh.

Fox has a scheduling conflict with his prior commitment to try to kill Madea in I, Alex Cross. Harris didn’t provide a reason for exit from the film but let’s just assume it also involves trying to kill Madea. Someone needs to step up and do it. (Vulture)

Harris’s role is unspecified and Fox is credited for the role of “Parajumper.” I’m not sure how closely the film will stick to Max Brooks‘ source material (it seems to have weaved away somewhat already) but there is a vignette in the book that follows a female pilot crash-landed in a zombie infested jungle. Could this role now belong to Fox? Dude is the go-to actor for getting stranded in jungles. (via Deadline and Bloody Disgusting)

One minute, it’s dead. Then, it’s back from the dead. Then, it’s movin faster than expected. Just like the Zombieland zombies. Cinematographer Robert Richardson is now prepping for World War Z to begin production overseas. Which means, that principal photography could begin as early as the end of the month.

Although it seems unlikely that the movie can be up and running so quickly, keep in mind that the project has been in development hell for so long that a lot of the prep is probably already done. As ScreenRant proposes, it would make sense for Paramount to want to get this one out as quickly as possible given the cost and the multitude of zombie movies that will soon oversaturat the box office. They definitely want to get this one in theaters before the Scary Movie guys ruin the genre.

Casino Royale‘s Marc Forster is attached to direct and Brad Pitt is attached to produce and star in what could be the best movie about zombies of all time. The problem here is the price tag on the expansive globally-set story. Coming in at $125 million has the studio ready to drop the project and focus on easier to produce fare like more Justin Bieber biopics. The same thing happened with Guillermo Del Toro‘s At The Mountains Of Madness. Despite killer material, an awesome director, and one of the biggest stars in the world, they still couldn’t get financing.

It’s a bit of a different case here, however. Mountains was to be R-rated while Paramount has the guarantee from Forster that World War Z will be PG-13. Lame, but whatever. At least it will exist and”The Walking Dead” gets away with some pretty gnarly effects despite television censor restrictions. Paramount is reaching out to their normal financing partners but I’d think Brad Pitt wouldn’t have to look too far for the money himself. Just recruit the cast of Ocean’s Eleven for the dead-raising funds. Or ask Maddox. You KNOW that kid’s got the scratch. (Vulture)