However, this trailer shows that the film became more or less the story of Brad Pitt’s character and his family, and looks sort of like Outbreak meets Independence Day.

It’s a departure, and seems to nullify what made the book so special, but the film still looks good, though in a much more conventional way.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, read the book. It’s terrific, and is an amazing narrative and story, regardless of whether or not you give a damn about zombies.

And tuck your pants into your socks, there are zombies out there.

“[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.

Your list may vary.

Haywire- January 20

Steven Soderbergh has never really blown my hair back the way other directors do, but he’s consistently “solid.” And while it’s a testament to the genre that I am looking for an action film that clears that admittedly low bar, I am. Gina Carano brings the muscle while Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, and Michael Douglas bring the acting in this story about a CIA agent gone rogue.

The Hunger Games – March 23

After a lengthy stretch of “tribute” casting announcements, The Hunger Games was able to capture my attention. I just recently read the book, and though it didn’t fall in my sweet spot because I’m not a 13 year-old girl, I am eager to see what kind of world the producers create for the dystopian future. The book is sparse with many details, so there’s a ton of room for the designers and director to flex their creative muscle. Plus, Jennifer Lawrence has put a spell on me since Winter’s Bone.

The Dictator – May 11

For me, this one starts and ends with the stars. Perhaps the script is great, perhaps it isn’t, but Sacha Baron Cohen and Anna Faris can find a way to transcend bad writing and play comedy like almost no one else can. The logline is “The heroic story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.” Interesting. Until you see an image of Sacha Baron Cohen’s dictator. Then it very quickly becomes mesmerizing.

“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)

The above video from the Glasgow set shows a stampede of people running as fast as they can away from the zombie threat, but not fast enough. With everyday that passes, this movie looks less and less like the book. At this point, don’t be surprised if the war element gets downplayed to a tickle-fight. (via FilmDrunk)

The Scottish location is the third stop on the World War Z roadshow. Living up to its title, segments have already been shot in Malta and Cornwall. Shooting will go until the end of the month, completing principal photography. After that, Marc Foster and company will have a cushy fifteen months or to really tighten up the footage. In fifteen months, they could probably go ahead and make two more movies if they really wanted to.

We’re still a ways off, but I smell prequels! World Wars X and Y, anyone?

That plotline doesn’t sound bad, but it seems to squander so much of what made the book unique. Of course, what makes the book unique is exactly what makes the book difficult to stick to in a film adaptation. I suppose a straightforward zombie story with World War Z’s thoughtful mythology is better than one without it, but it’s a little disappointing nonetheless that the studio and director Marc Foster are compromising, though it’s not surprising.

World War Z hits theaters December 21, 2012.

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)

World War Z is based on the Max Brooks book that serves as an oral history memorialized ten years after a fictional zombie war. Also, it’s really, really awesome.

You might know James Badge Dale from”The Pacific,” and you might not know him from AMC‘s short-lived “Rubicon.” And there’s a decent chance your 7th grade English teacher made you get familiar with him as Simon in Lord of the Flies. (Variety)

Mireille Enos (AMC’s “The Killing“) has snagged a role in Paramount‘s World War Z, based on the Max Brooks bestseller about zombies. This is the first movie Hollywood has made about zombies in a long time. She’ll play wife Karin Lane to star Brad Pitt. Though Enos has starred in TV shows like “Big Love,” this is the first time her face will be stretched to movie theater proportions in a major role. (Deadline)

Meanwhile, the Judd Apatow produced comedy Five Year Engagement is importing a new lady from NBC Thursdays to join the cast. Mindy Kaling “The Office“) will join Alison Brie (“Community”), as well as Jason Segal, Emily Blunt, Rhys Ifans and Chris Pratt “Parks and Recreation“). With all that NBC talent on board, they’d better hope a film opening opposite them doesn’t feature stars from CBS, or they will be crushed at the box office. (Variety)

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.

Today, it was announced by Deadline that WWZ might have all the financing it needs, as well as a June start date. Nothing’s set in stone, but it appears the project is back on track after a scare last week.

Who do we have to thank for this salvation? David Ellison a Paramount exec and brother of rock-star-movie-saver Megan Ellison, who has recently helped get made: True Grit, Cogan’s Trade, The Wettest County in the West, and an untitled Spike Jonze/Charlie Kaufman collaboration. Yeah, you could say we’re fans of the Ellisons.

For those not hip to World War Z, it is based on a book of the same name that served as an oral history of a fictional zombie war that the entire globe was a part of. It has a loyal following (because it’s really great) and Brad Pitt will be producing and starring in the film. It rides a wave of zombie-centric entertainment unleashed on the masses, but many feel that it stands on its own enough to differentiate itself from the myriad other projects out there.

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)

Brad Pitt is about to launch World War Z, according to the book’s author, Max Brooks.

After five years in limbo, Pitt’s production company is finally moving forward with the project. Using Michael Straczynski’s adapted screenplay, World War Z will chronicle life in a post-apocalyptic zombie-infested universe. Pitt himself will star in the film, which Paramount has slated for release in 2012.

Having read the book a few years back, I’m excited to see it headed to the big screen. I’m not excited enough to risk leaving my heavily fortified zombie-proof apartment/command center, but I’m excited none the less. That reminds me, does anyone know how to fix a chemical toilet? Mother is complaining about the smell. (Cinema Blend)

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It’s been a long time since we’ve heard anything about the adaptation of World War Z. Max Brooks, the book’s author, spoke with MTV and gave the update that we’re about a month away from seeing a rewrite from Matthew Carnahan. After that point, it’s up to Paramount to decide when and how awesomely it gets made.

He also acknowledged that the style of the book is impossible to translate to film and commended the original script’s ability to weave a cohesive narrative from the numerous, sprawling entries in the book. Until we hear more, readers are advised to prepare for the impending zombie uprising. A nice way to do so would be with this combination night table/zombie-proof bat and shield. Also effective against cat burglars.