Two new posters for World War Z have surfaced. One shows star Brad Pitt surveying a ravaged cityscape sans zombies. The other shows a mountain of the walking dead attacking a helicopter.
Both are super cool.
The film is loosely based on Max Brooks’ book, which recounts humanity’s near destruction after a zombie epidemic breaks out. Since the novel was a series of vignettes, with no focal character, it’ll be interesting to see how screenwriter Matthew Michael Carnahan has put it all together. From what we know so far, Pitt plays character, Gerry Lane, a UN worker who races around the globe trying to identify and stop the zombie pandemic.
World War Z has had a troubled history. The original December 2012 release date was moved to this summer, and director Marc Forster had to do extensive reshoots.
The book was great, and from what I’ve seen this trailer promises something completely different.
With new ads for Iron Man and The Lone Ranger set to debut during the Super Bowl, Paramount wasn’t about to let itself be outdone. They too will be joining the trailer sweepstakes when they air a new ad for Brad Pitt’s World War Z.
But ahead of Sunday’s game, a teaser debuted online late Thursday that showcased more scenes of the rampaging zombies that will plague the human race. And we get a further glimpse of just how bad things will get in the Marc Forster-directed film.
“We’ve lost the East Coast,” a voiceover informs us. “China’s dark.”
“What is this?” Pitt asks. “We don’t know,” comes the answer.
Corny lines, super-cool visuals.
Basically, it’s a shorter version of the trailer that debuted last November, but there are several new scenes that definitely up the excitement factor for the film.
World War Z is based on Max Brooks’ 2006 novel which collects individual vignettes that recount the near destruction of humanity by a zombie plague.
The loosely connected stories in the book will, presumably, be tied together by Pitt’s character, Gerry Lane, a UN worker who races around the world to try to identify and stop the zombie pandemic.
If you haven’t read the book, you have less than five months. The film opens on June 21.
OK movie fans. Have you had enough of indie art-house seriousness? Even if you still need to see Lincoln and Argo to win big in your company Oscar pool, I know and you know that what you’re really jazzed about are the slew of action movies hitting the big screen in 2013.
And the first of this year’s impressive slate – the “big, LOUD and stupid” Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters – hits screens this weekend (to read the review, head on over to the Toronto Sun). So, if action is your thing, let’s take a look at some other flicks that’ll get your adrenaline pumping over the next 12 months.
The Old Guys
If you have a soft spot for aging heroes, vintage action stars will be all over the screen in 2013. Arnie and Sly are back for two solo adventures, before teaming up in their first full-length shoot ‘em up. Schwarzenegger’s The Last Stand is in theatres now, with Stallone’s Bullet to the Head due out on Feb. 1. The pair will then join forces in The Tomb (Sept. 27). 50 Cent also stars so, hey, bring the kids.
If those two are a little too leathery for you, Bruce Willis will be back as John McClane in A Good Day to Die Hard. It opens on Valentine’s, so fellas start strategizing now. It’s the fifth instalment in Willis’ long-running McClane series and they never disappoint.
Bruce will also star in G.I. Joe: Retaliation and Red 2, so I’m just going to go ahead and crown him action star of the year.
Comic Books
Comics and graphic novels are always a great source for action aficionados, and this year a whole slew of costumed heroes will be vying for your cash. After letting Marvel rule the celluloid hero-verse (The Dark Knight notwithstanding), DC Comics is flying into action in a big way with Man of Steel (July 14). Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot will not only try to resuscitate the moribund franchise, it will be setting up a future all-star Justice League film skedded for 2015.
But Marvel doesn’t back down from a film fight, and they have Iron Man 3 (May 3), Kick-Ass 2 (June 28) and The Wolverine (July 24) due this summer. Thor: The Dark World will also be smashing into theatres Nov. 8.
Still, I’m betting on Superman to top them all. After 2006’s Superman Returns underperformed, DC knows they can’t miss and they’ve scored a visual virtuoso in Snyder and producer Chris Nolan to boot.
Sequels
In addition to the ones already mentioned, we will see amped-up sequels to Frank Miller’s Sin City (Oct. 2) and 300 (Aug. 2), Vin Diesel and The Rock will be battling it out in Fast & Furious 6 (May 24) and 3D re-releases for Star Wars Episode II and III will be blasting on to screens this fall.
But the sequel that will be on everyone’s must-see list is Star Trek: Into Darkness. Shrouded in secrecy (we still don’t know who the villain is yet), Kirk, Spock and friends battle an “unstoppable force of terror.” If there’s one director who consistently exceeds expectations, though, it’s J.J. Abrams. Trek 2 will also be hitting theatres in 3D and Imax.
With the recent announcement that Abrams’ will be directing Star Wars Episode VII, the sequel might also end up being the last great Trek movie for a while.
Best of the rest
Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise and Big Willy will also be vying for your popcorn munching time in 2013. In an odd coincidence, two of the three will be starring in sci-fi films. First up is Cruise in Oblivion (April 19), followed by Will Smith in the M. Night Shyamalan-directed After Earth (June 7). Pitt is also going against type in his first foray into the zombie genre, World War Z (June 21).
Thanks to The Walking Dead, the walking dead are all the rage, but Pitt’s film has been plagued by delays (it still looks cool, though).
Johnny Depp will try and regain his mojo with The Lone Ranger (July 3). He’s reteaming with Pirates director Gore Verbinski, so his odds are good.
But predict Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim (July 11) will blow all of them out of the water. The shot-in-Toronto sci-fi film is robots versus monsters; humans are attacked and we fight back. Cue the awesomeness.
If none of these tickle your fancy, there’s also R.I.P.D. (July 19), Riddick (Sept. 6), The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Nov. 22), Chris Pine’s Jack Ryan reboot (Dec. 25) and Keanu Reeves’ long-delayed 47 Ronin (Nov. 21).
When it’s all said and done, which do you think will stand head-and-shoulders above the rest? Let us know in the comments.
We’ve covered the most anticipated films of 2013 in an extensive preview, but USA Today has just dropped some new images for this year’s most anticipated flicks. So, we thought we’d share.
First up, is a new shot of Henry Cavill from Man of Steel. It appears to be a still from a scene glimpsed in the trailer in which military helicopters descend on Big Blue. It doesn’t look like Supes will be welcomed with open arms in this new origin tale.
If you’ve missed the trailer, check it out below.
Next up is a snap from Tom Cruise’s next film. Cruise is still kicking ass in Jack Reacher, but in a mere four months he’ll be starring in Oblivion, the first of two back-to-back sci-fi flicks he has in the can.
Even if you’re kinda of meh on Cruise, the trailer is intriguing.
We also get a look at Pitt in World War Z (sans zombies). The film has had its release date moved several times, but the trailer looks promising. Note: If you haven’t read the book, pick it up. I guarantee it will be vastly different from the film.
Finally, we get a still from M. Night Shyamalan’s After Earth. Personally, I liked The Happening, but I think we can all agree that The Last Airbender was a monumental waste of time. Well, in this outing, M. Night has Will Smith in his corner in a story about a father and son who crash-land on a planet that has been abandoned by humanity. Can Big Willy resurrect Shyamalan’s flagging career? Stay tuned.
What film are you most excited about in the coming months? Let us know in the comments.
Brad Pitt’s first foray into the zombie genre has been a bit messy.
Director Marc Forster’s adaptation of Max Brooks’ 2006 zombie war book World War Z started shooting in 2011 with a targeted release in December 2012. That date went out the window earlier this summer when execs, who were none too happy with the finished product, demanded extensive reshoots and a new ending.
Now scheduled to open June 20, 2013, Paramount has just released the first trailer for the film and it looks awesome.
It starts ominously on a gridlocked street before spiraling out of control. Hundreds of swarming zombies sprint (yes, sprint – these aren’t the stiff-limbed duds from The Walking Dead) after Pitt and his family, rampage over trucks, chase planes and tumble off buildings. And that’s just 2-minute’s worth.
Having read the book, Brooks’ vignette storytelling style seemed impossible to adapt. But from what I’ve seen in the new trailer, World War Z the movie is going to be a completely new (and amazing) beast.
Check out the trailer below and let us know what you think in the comments below.
