Paramount released a new "World War Z" trailer at 3 a.m. EDT on Monday morning, proof that when it comes to summer blockbusters, global ticket sales are king. (The "World War Z" trailer debuted at 7 a.m. in London, for instance, and noon in Russia.)
Based on the novel by Max Brooks, "World War Z" focuses on Gerry Lane, a U.N. worker who tries to get to stop the zombie apocalypse that threatens to kill everyone on Earth, including his own family. ("Can we talk about the end of humanity?" one military muckety-muck asks to Pitt's Gerry.) That's a twist from the Brooks novel, which takes place after a decade-long "zombie war"; in the film version, the war is ongoing. (You'll note the moment when a zombie horde takes down a helicopter.)
"World War Z" was originally set for release in December of 2012, but production delays and reported on-set strife pushed the film back to June. From previous HuffPost Entertainment coverage posted last year:
The film was shifted to June of 2013 after "significant reshoots" were requested by the studio. In June, Damon Lindelof ("Lost," "Prometheus") was reportedly hired to work on the script -- with specific focus on the ending -- despite the fact that "World War Z" finished production in 2011. (In the end, it was never confirmed that Lindelof did work on the script.) Meanwhile, as Vulture reported, the messy post-production process was exacerbated further by the fact that Pitt and director Marc Forster ("Quantum of Solace") weren't on speaking terms.
All of which is to say: drama. Yet "World War Z" still cuts together a nifty trailer and Pitt is still a global star with incredible box office clout when he's fronting a mainstream crowd-pleaser (see: "Inglourious Basterds," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and the "Ocean's" films for reference).
"World War Z" is set for release on June 21. Watch the new "World War Z" trailer above.
