British screenwriter Steven Knight has been hired to write the sequel to Paramount and Skydance’s World War Z.
The Impossible director J.A. Bayona will replace Marc Forster, who directed the first film, to direct the zombie sequel. Actor Brad Bitt will be returning in the starring role as a United Nations employee Gerry Lane who tries to stop a zombie plague, all the while trying to communicate with his family.
Plot details are unknown, but the film is expected to continue the story of Max Brooks’ novel.
The film would reunite Knight and Pitt, after it was announced that the actor is in early talks to star in an untitled World War II romantic thriller, which was also written by the filmmaker.
In 2013, World War Z earned more than $202 million domestically and $540 million worldwide and is the highest-grossing film of Pitt’s career. The 50-year-old star produced the project through his Plan B production company, along with Skydance Productions and Paramount.
Knight is most recently known for last year’s critically acclaimed Locke starring Tom Hardy, and was nominated for an Oscar in 2004 for the film Dirty Pretty Things.
Watch 2013’s World War Z trailer below:
