I don’t think anyone expected World War Z to be good, let alone that it would be something of a sleeper hit upon its release. As it just so happens, the film was not half bad and it was indeed a hit – defying everyone’s expectations after all the production woes and script rewrites. Naturally, success breeds sequel opportunities and World War Z‘s sequel has found its director in Juan Antonio Bayona.
Bayona is known most notably for the highly acclaimed ghost spooker, The Orphanage, which I have shamefully still not seen. His most recent film however, The Impossible, might be the one that sells me on his role in a World War Z sequel, if only because that’s the only movie of his I’ve actually seen. Forster, who directed World War Z, did handle some of the big set pieces well enough, but Bayona delivered a scene in The Impossible that was as terrifying as it was incredible in its technical aspects. The tsunami scene from The Impossible was a stunning achievement for a film that for the most part flew under the radar among mainstream audiences and I strongly recommend checking it out if you haven’t.
Aside from what I think Bayona can deliver in terms of thrills he achieved just as much emotionally in The Impossible– even if it was very manipulative in that way. I don’t know if World War Z has room for the kind of emotion on display in a true story like The Impossible, but I believe he can deliver a lot more on that front than Forster did in his film. I’m imagining the two stark differences in Bayona’s filmography between The Orphanage and The Impossible are what make him an attractive choice to the studio since he obviously has what it takes to both thrill and chill audiences and my interest in the sequel has shot up significantly with this news.
Did you like World War Z? Are you excited about a sequel? What do you think of Juan Antonio Bayona’s work? Let us know what you think in the comments section!
Via: Variety
