Joining the conspiracies surrounding an impending apocalypse is a surge in popularity regarding fiction on the subject. World War Z, a film adaptation of Max Brooks’ novel of the same name, illustrates an Earth barely recovering from a decade-old war that destroyed planetary civilization, festering with undead civilians. Marc Forster takes a stab at the genre after a building a resume that includes everything from cerebral comedy like Stranger than Fiction to heartbreaking drama like Monster’s Ball and tent-pole action like Quantum of Solace.
Recently signed on to costar as a military officer bent against the zombie populace is James Badge Dale, who should be familiar to fans of 24 and World War II miniseries The Pacific. His character’s driving force in this upcoming film is the pioneering of a war against the undead. Dale joins Brad Pitt in the central role as a U.N.-employed researcher assigned to interview what remains of humanity. Along with Dale, tentative new cast members include Anthony Mackie of The Hurt Locker and Mireille Enos, most notable for her former role in Big Love.
The film, currently in pre-production, plans for a release in the summer of 2012.
