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Movie Matchmaker: David Fincher's World War Z
by Brian Tallerico
THE MATCH
 Clearly, World War Z is going to need a director with a wide scope - someone who can handle the procedural elements of not just the interviews but the bureaucracy and sociopolitical machinations that make up a lot of the book. At the same time, it needs to be a director who knows how to induce fear in his audience and who can handle the technical requirements of a massive shoot. As great a book as it is, and as much as the cockles of our zombie-loving hearts are warmed by the IESB review, World War Z could still be a disastrous mess. If Plan B hires a director with the wrong style, this could be a lackluster movie of the week in a heartbeat - ALL zombie films could.
So, the dream director needs to be someone who instantly lends credibility to the project. Sadly, George A. Romero is no longer that man, as proven by the 42-screen opening of Diary of the Dead. He will always be the zombie master of our childhood but World War Z does not play to his strengths. He's a man who does great with confined spaces, whereas World War Z focuses on the entire planet. Who has experience with horror and drama? Who knows procedural? Who knows how to draw the best out of Brad Pitt, which could make for a strong behind-the-scenes dynamic even if he doesn't choose to star? And who has the technical expertise to make something with this kind of scope manageable? David Fincher.
At first, Fincher might seem like someone who would never direct a zombie movie, but he has the experience to take World War Z and make it the A-list project that it should be, and it actually fits perfectly in his filmography. He has action experience with Alien 3, horror experience with Seven, and he made one of the most technically accomplished films of 2007 in Zodiac. Fincher has long been obsessed with people trying to "put the pieces together" like the interviewer in World War Z. Detective David Mills in Seven, Nicholas Van Orton in The Game, Jack in Fight Club, and Robert Graysmith in Zodiac - they're all obsessed with trying to make sense of a world gone mad. The interviewer in World War Z would be a perfect fit. Fincher definitely has a busy schedule, finishing up post-production on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (with Pitt) and he was just announced this week to be moving into an adaptation of Charles Burns' graphic novel Black Hole next. And he may someday make the long-rumored Rendezvous With Rama. All that we can say is... Do World War Z first.
Here's the kicker: When Black Hole finishes up, he's got nothing confirmed on his plate. World War Z could film in 2009 for a 2010 release, which just happens to be the year the zombie war starts in the book. It's almost TOO perfect of a fit.
ALTERNATES
If Fincher says no, we're still a little worried that the TV pedigree of Stracynski and the general stigma around zombies (blame Paul WS Anderson for that) might drag this down to the B-movie directors. We love a good zombie B-movie as much as the next guy, but if World War Z ends up in Anderson's hand, we're making picket signs and covering them in fake blood. This has the potential to be the most influential zombie movie in years. So, Brad, if David says no, keep thinking A-list. Who else has experience with massive scope and sociopolitical issues? Peter Jackson's good on the first, but he's not the best choice for the political and bureaucratic side of this tale. J.J. Abrams might bring an interesting slant - he's certainly dealt with the human side of inhuman situations on Lost and with Cloverfield - but he's yet to prove he could really handle a project of this magnitude. Do you think Spielberg would ever tackle brain-eating creatures? If the script's as good as IESB says it is, and if Pitt definitely signs on to star, it's not out of the realm of possibility. The man can certainly handle scope and genre (any genre), but there's something that doesn't make it 100% right like Fincher would. Still, it's better than a lot of the alternatives.
CONCLUSION
Movies are obsessed with the end of the world right now. From I Am Legend at the end of last year to Cloverfield, The Signal, and Doomsday later this year, the future ain't a pretty place to live. World War Z could be the defining movie of this sub-genre. But it's going to take a director who knows how to lift this brilliant novel above the misconceptions surrounding zombie movies. A note to Brad Pitt, next time you're working on ADR with your pal David on Benjamin Button, toss him a copy of World War Z. Just give us a nod in the credits.
Next: Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk
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