Claim: Brad Pitt appeared in a movie.

World War Z is a 2013 American action horror film directed by Marc Forster . The screenplay by Matthew Michael Carnahan , Drew Goddard , and Damon Lindelof is from a screen story by Carnahan and J. Michael Straczynski , based on the title of the 2006 novel of the same name by Max Brooks . The film stars Brad Pitt as Gerry Lane , a former United Nations investigator who must travel the world to find a way to stop a zombie pandemic .   Pitt 's Plan B Entertainment secured the film rights in 2007 , and Forster was approached to direct . In 2009 , Carnahan was hired to rewrite the script . Filming began in July 2011 in Malta , on an estimated $ 125 million budget , before moving to Glasgow in August 2011 and Budapest in October 2011 . Originally set for a December 2012 release , the production suffered some setbacks . In June 2012 , the film 's release date was pushed back , and the crew returned to Budapest for seven weeks of additional shooting . Damon Lindelof was hired to rewrite the third act , but did not have time to finish the script , and Drew Goddard was hired to rewrite it . The reshoots took place between September and October 2012 .   World War Z premiered in London on June 2 , 2013 , and was chosen to open the 35th Moscow International Film Festival . The film premiered in New York , and Los Angeles on June 14 , 2013 , and released everywhere on June 21 , 2013 , in the United States , in 2D and RealD 3D . The film received positive reviews for Brad Pitt 's performance and as a realistic revival of the zombie genre , but received certain criticism for the anti-climax and outdated CGI . Regardless , the film was a commercial success , grossing over $ 540 million against a production budget of $ 190 million , becoming the highest-grossing zombie film of all time . A sequel was announced shortly after the film 's release ; it was tentatively scheduled for a June 2017 release , but has since been delayed .