The Orphanage director on board for World War Z sequel

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

WORLD WAR Z was quite the surprise hit this year as it raked in more than $500 million worldwide at the box office—those are some sequel numbers right there, folks! We've known about the sequel for quite a while now, but there has always been a big question mark as to who would take the helm ever since Marc Forster left the project. Today word has come in from THR that Juan Antonio Bayona (THE ORPHANAGE), who last directed 2012’s tsunami drama THE IMPOSSIBLE, has signed a deal to direct the sequel to Paramount and Skydance Productions’ WORLD WAR Z.

I think Bayona is perfect for the sequel as he has shown an ability to hit all the right notes for a film like WORLD WAR Z. What made the first flick so successful was that it had a good mix of scares, drama and big action sequences, something Bayona should be able to handle quite well so I'm all for this news!

Apparently, Bayona was on the very short shortlist of directors a few weeks ago. He met with Pitt, who produced the movie via his Plan B banner and is also producing the sequel, before getting the gig. No writers are attached at this stage, but Bayona will oversee the writing process.