A sequel to Brad Pitt's $540 million zombie movie, sequel to World War Z in which the military can more easily face the zombie horde.

Although a zombie movie sequel to World War Z was eventually canceled. If the movie had happened as originally planned though, it could have redeemed one of the most notorious sci-fi movies in history.

World War Z 2 Would’ve Been David Fincher’s First Sci-Fi Sequel Since Alien 3

Alien 3's Director Would Have Had Another Crack At A Sci-Fi Sequel

Firstly, it is worth exploring how World War Z 2 would have connected to the sci-fi film in question: Alien 3. Four years after the first movie was released worldwide, it was announced that acclaimed director David Fincher had signed on to direct a sequel to World War Z. Fincher began developing the film before suffering setbacks due to his work on Netflix's Mindhunter. Despite filming set to begin in June 2019, the film was canceled in February 2019, with reports claiming that the Chinese government banning movies featuring zombies or ghosts was the sole factor for this decision.

If World War Z 2 had gone ahead with Fincher in the director's chair, it would have been the first sci-fi movie the filmmaker had helmed since Alien 3. Alien 3 was Fincher's first movie and is notorious for being one he outright disowns due to studio interference. If Fincher had worked on World War Z 2, the director's accumulated reputation since Alien 3 would have undoubtedly led to full creative control. Therefore, the mistakes of Alien 3 could have been rectified with Fincher finally making a sci-fi sequel in the way he wanted to, without negative creative oversight.

What Went Wrong During The Making Of David Fincher’s Alien 3

Several Elements Of Production Saw Alien 3 Become A Jumble Of Multiple Films

Concerning what went wrong with Alien 3's production, it may be quicker to explore what did not. Arguably many of Alien 3's biggest issues were implemented before Fincher even signed on to direct. Initially, the film was proposed as a continuation of the Alien movie timeline in a way that reinvented it. Cyberpunk author William Gibson was hired to write a script but was pushed into doing so in only a few months due to fears of the impending 1988 Writer's Guild of America strike. Gibson’s script has since been well-received by fans, despite the studio declining it.

Gibson's script was adapted as a comic series, a full-cast audio drama, and a novel, proving how well-received it likely would have been due to its action-packed story.

After Gibson refused another rewrite and left the project, Eric Red wrote a draft. Red has also since disowned this script, stating it was not his story and the result of story conferences and studio interferences. This process repeated several other times; Red left the project and a script by writer David Twohy was created. Once Vincent Ward was hired as director, he rewrote the script again. When Ward refused to make several changes commissioned by the studio, he was replaced by producers Walter Hill and David Giler. The duo worked with script doctor Larry Ferguson before Fincher was hired.

All of this interference from the studio regarding story ideas, writers, and directors saw Fincher handed an incoherent jumble of a movie to direct...

Hill and Giler then rushed into creating a script that combined the best aspects of all prior stories, with Fincher and author Rex Pickett also making changes to the screenplay. All of this interference from the studio regarding story ideas, writers, and directors saw Fincher handed an incoherent jumble of a movie to direct. Even during filming, Fincher was the victim of studio interference, since disowning the film and blaming producers for not having faith in him, and rendering Alien 3 as one of the worst-ranked Alien movies.

What David Fincher’s World War Z Sequel Would Have Looked Like

World War Z 2 Had A Promising Premise

Had Fincher been given the opportunity to redeem his time on Alien 3 by crafting a sci-fi movie of his own design with World War Z 2, the latter film would have been undeniably intriguing. Since the film was canceled, Fincher has opened up about what his film would have looked like. In an interview with GQ for his film The Killer, Fincher was asked about the ideas for his story, with the director likening it to HBO's recent zombie thriller The Last of Us:

"Well, it was a little like The Last of Us. I'm glad that we didn't do what we were doing, because The Last of Us has a lot more real estate to explore the same stuff. In our title sequence, we were going to use the little parasite… they used it in their title sequence, and in that wonderful opening with the Dick Cavett, David Frost-style talk show."

Aside from the comparisons to The Last of Us, there have been other rumors about World War Z 2's prospective plot. It was rumored that the film would introduce the idea that the vaccine from the ending of the first movie would only last 36 hours, resulting in the war against the hordes turning for the worst and leading to more political tension. Regardless of how it would have looked, a World War Z sequel is not happening anymore, despite the possibility of Fincher's redemption regarding Alien 3.