David Fincher compares his canceled World War Z sequel to The Last Of Us

Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie in The Last of Us TV show — (Image credit: Netflix)

David Fincher says that World War Z, his 2013 zombie movie starring Brad Pitt, was supposed to have a sequel that coincidentally looked a lot like post-apocalyptic series The Last of Us.

In an interview with GQ, Fincher revealed that the canned World War Z 2 movie, which was cut due to budgeting issues, shared a lot of the same themes as HBO's video game adaptation. "Well, it was a little like The Last of Us," the Fight Club director said. "In our title sequence, we were going to use the little parasite… they used it in their title sequence, and in that wonderful opening with the Dick Cavett, David Frost-style talk show."

In both World War Z and The Last of Us, a deadly virus breaks out turning humans into violent, unhuman creatures, and it is up to the people left to survive to prevent their own extinction. In the latter, it is confirmed that the reason for this breakout is a rare fungus called Cordyceps, a parasitic fungus that infects the brain. This could be the parasite in question that Fincher was planning on basing his sequel around.

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However, it looks like the filmmaker has no regrets, as later in the interview Fincher said he is glad that his vision never came to life as the show "has a lot more real estate to explore the same stuff." The first season of The Last of Us spans over nine episodes, exploring more than a movie ever could. The second season is currently in the works but HBO is yet to confirm a release date.

Fincher's next movie The Killer, starring Micheal Fassbender, will hit theaters on October 27. To keep up to date with The Last of Us, here is everything we know so far about season 2. For more tales of the undead, check out our list of the best zombie movies.

I'm the Junior Social Media Editor here at GamesRadar+, handling all of Total Film's social platforms. However, I also write, covering all things film and TV for the site's entertainment section. I joined GamesRadar+ in 2023 and have been here ever since. I previously worked in communications after graduating with an MA in journalism. In my spare time, you can find me binging horror movies or getting lost in a cosy little game on my Switch.