"From what I can tell, the zombies in World War Z are not only of the fast variety, but they're tough and extremely scary."

Aw man, in the book they're the classic slow variety.. I'm tired of all these fast zombies. One of the best things about the book is how it shows how slow zombies can actually take over the world.

Download, uh.. i mean buy the audiobook.

Its really well done, it won some awards and Henry Rollins does one of the voices.

What i'm expecting from this is that they pull out 3 or 4 stories and characters from the book and use them. I dont think its doable otherwise unless you made a sort of fake documentary style movie combining interviews and news style footage.

Actually Kevin, while it isn't made as a "fake documentary" it does incorporate all of the styles you listed, and more. We are told of the War through news footage, interviews, flashbacks, and memories. The whole thing is extremely well thought out that way.

In terms of BarbarPappa's concerns about the zombies being "fast," all i can say is it's not something that is explicitly spelled out in the screenplay. I made that inference based on how the scenes read. Perhaps I was swayed by words like "swarming" and "pouring" but the scenes seems to play out quickly.

"Sometimes it's just a little too obvious that characters are vessels for the writers to spew their ideology ... a Michael Moore documentary." I love this site and visit it almost every day to get my PA fix but sometimes it seems the site is too obviously a vessel for its producers to defend their own ideological sensitivities. It's like the producers of this site think Michael Moore is the scariest thing they can think of, which in today's America is just too funny. I mean, how exactly do you see insidious left-wing ideology in some guy saying "Fear sells"?

I think Michael Moore is great. That's not what I was saying.

the whole time i was reading the book i kept thinking..."how are they ever gonna shoot this??" but then i thought kinda classic docu style with some crazy international flashbacks.. soo... glad to see them gong that direction...cool..
thanks for the update..
xoxo

I think for the flashbacks, they should do at least one per chapter.

They should do a Todd Waino one. Those are the best.

@bad dog.

They do lay it on a bit think in the book, which is fine with me because I tend to agree with the anti-consumerism message, but its about as subtle as a sledge hammer.

I think this would work better as an HBO or Showtime 12 part series. Plague of the Dead would work better as a movie. I would love to see the downed pilot as a full episode or the story about the Japanese guy having to scale from patio to patio to get out of his building. Even throw in some of the short stories that are in Zombie Survival Guide. Just a thought.

Wow... this sounds awesome!

watched"children of men"last night thinking how scary it would be with zombies.

The zombies in the book are slow, stupid, merciless, and unstoppable. That's half of what made them so scary: your doom slowly headed your way where you can do jack-all about it. I think I'll cry if they make them runners. I really think I will.

"the thoughtful, adult nature of the movie but still be able to maintain the horror."

Think you hit the proverbial nail on the head there. Would be a real shame if they dumbed it down for the "masses" because this has the potential to be a pinnacle in zombie cinema (and not another Diary of the Dead disappointment).

Also, the audio books floating around seem to be abridged even when they claim to be unabridged. I found the unabridged version missing some interviews completely.

I have been waiting for this movie since I first read the Zombie Survival Guide and later read World War Z. Hopefully everything works out and runs smoothly, this is looking to be a difficult and complex film to make, but with the right people, which it seems they should have, and if it does pan out, this movie is going to be AMAZING and an instant classic. I cannot wait for this film.

Michael Moore is a ****ing comunist and a ****ing asshole! W USA!!

Another shout out for the Audio book. Rollins is great but good 'ol Mark Hammil is better as a soldier. His read of the battle of Yonkers was believable, scary, dramatic and even funny.

Wouldn't fast zombies ruin several of the stories? Like most of the military battles, Yonkers etc?

I agree with Mike. I'll be heartbroken if they turn the zombies into even slightly sentient beings. Their lack of brain function, and the explanation behind it, is what makes Brooks' zombies uniquely terrifying.

the zombies are not supposed to be fast. Its very clear they are slow but in mass. If they were fast like in the more recent "dawn of the dead." It would be stupid.plain as. I love the book and i hope the movie version will do it some justice

They dont have to be `one step a minute slow`-if they were walking at a hurried pace, but not sprinting, i think that would work-aside from anything, judging by the scope of the movie, they need to be a little bit fast or the movie will go on for a week

If they make these zombies fast I wont go... this is one of the most socially poignant novels in this new century... if they **** it up and change something like that this movie will fail like the Star Wars prequels I will be boycotting this movie

I am so sick of purists moaning about fast zombies. Each have their merits and horror. Its really one of the stupidest things you could choose to get upset about.

Personaly, I prefer the fast zombie.

As for WWZ, he describes them as 'slouching', and I always pictured that as not fast, but not staggeringly slow either, sort of like an exaggerated limp.

I prefer them slow myself, and that is one of the things I liked about Brooks. He explains why they are slow, it has too do with the breaking down of the motor control functions as the virus begins to mutate the brain, and he makes the slow zombies so scary.

Now, while I did not like all the messages he pushed, the book was so well done I didn't care.

I just hope whoever makes it a movie keeps them relatively slow, after all the Battles of Hope, New Mexico and Yonkers, New York would be utterly ruined (not too mention the scenes of the zombies slouching their way up lines of cars all stalled as the Great Panic sets in).

FAST ZOMBIES ARE SACRALIGE!!! They ruin the whole genre they ruined Dawn of The Dead and will ruin WWZ if the zombies are fast. Running zombies is what I'm against. slightly rapid walking zombies I'm okay with. I also hate frankenstein zombies, actors that play zombies that way should be shot!!!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE MAKE THE ZOMBIES SLOW!!! Thats the horror of the entire idea of it. Its not the QUALITY of the KILLER, its the QUANTITY of them and their relentlessness. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DON'T RUIN THE FILM!!!

Man, they should stick with the slow variety.

PLEASE GOD make the zombies SLOW! The scene of the wailing undead pouring out of the now derelict bank offices in central LA in the beginning of Dawn of the Dead proves to all of us that the slow, determined approach of the living dead affects you on so many more levels than the fast, boring kind ever could. You should be able to feel that your speed doesn't help you that much, since no matter how far and fast your run they won't ever stop, even with their comparably slow rate. They ARE coming for YOU.

I found this site today because I am reading World War Z and came up with a script idea and was all excited. Then discovered that someone had had the exact same idea and even appears to be writing it using the interview format. Time for me to start reading books when they first come out!

I've been waiting, watching and following the progress of the production of this movie for over a year now. My opinion of fast moving zombies is: as long as this movie can strike absolute desolate fear into the viewers with leaving as much respect for the novel as possible, I will be satisfied. Also, (and I'm sure someone will end up correcting me) did we even know the name of the interviewer? Or his whereabouts during the zombie invasion? p.s.---I'd rather not have running zombies BUT I would NEVER boycott this movie even if it was butchered!

How can I get a copy of the script? It's gotta be out there if so many people have read it. Anyone know?
Cheers

The only way to do this book right is to do it as a 10-12 part series on one of the major cable networks, like a previous post states. It may not immidiately produce the cash flow that a "Blockbuster" movie would, but cable networks have been putting out some quality shows with great visuals lately, and money could be made in DVD sets after the series airs. the point is, this is a great story, and trying to squeeze it into three hours would only neuter it, at best. A trilogy would be great, but you could never sale a zombie trilogy to the big wigs.

Oh...and slow zombies in mass is a must for this project.

I just wanna see the mega swarm from orbit like the one the astronauts saw marching over the mid-west USA. If they can do that without it becomming some form of gimmick to regret, i would be a very happy man. on the slow vs fast zombie topic. i would like them slow. but i can see them being faster in the beginning than at the end because the bodies are decaying more and they should become slower so a brisk walk in the beginning to a slow trudge later.

<blockquote>It feels much more like JFK or Lions for Lambs than Dawn of the Dead. </blockquote>
<blockquote>Pretty much every face-to-face Gerry has with someone ends in a big speech about either the inherant corruption of governments, the greed and recklessness of pharmaceutical companies, or the failure of the world's social systems. In that sense the film is primed to be one of the most political and eye opening horror movies ever.</blockquote>

Can't we have anything without politics. :-(

I find it strange (but exciting) that the script seems to take such an "anti-consumerist" stance, which I'm guessing translates into a more leftist take on politricks, etc., since I found the book to be fairly conservative in tone. While I loved the book, I definitely felt that it took a rather Holier than Thou look at Israel, while assuming that when the sh!t hits the fan Palestinians would still only care about destroying Israel. Is Max Brooks insane or just ignorant. Ugh. Not to mention the narrative, while posing as a world view on the crisis is really just a set-up for a pro-American message. Good ole boys doin' right. Taking it into their own hands, etc... As a zombie story it's top notch. really high quality, but it charts out the same old conservative BS IMHO.

Good old boys? What are you talking about? Gun owners shooting zombies? That's logically what would happen. You sound pretty politically ignorant yourself. Don't let ideology stifle your logic.

I'm going to see if I can find a Plan B Entertainment forum so I can let them know how much I hate fast zombies. Everyone here should do the same.

How did I miss this one. Can't wait..slow they should be and never let school interfere with your education.

I think if they did it something like band of brothers it would be perfect, basically a 12 hour movie with no corners cut on budget or acting.

Slow vs. Fast..well, why not both? I think for me, the infection should determine the speed of the infected. I.e. if some strange radiation raises the dead, ex. Romero Night of, then slow. But that's horror fantasy, so anything goes. Closer to reality, Pandemic..If infection is viral and simply changes the living (they never actually die) then fast but getting increasingly slower as body gets weaker from illness, malnutrition. If virus reanimates, same thing, but with slow down for decay of organs, etc. I'm definitely a person who looks at the real possibility of it happening and wants to see these tales as true to science and reality as possible! I like to suspend disbelief only in really, obviously, only could be fiction tales; otherwise, I like to see as real to it as possible intepretations. But what I HATEHATEHATE is zombies ADAPTING or becoming smarter via some other worldly being that is inhabiting the corpse. Ughh, I really hate that (so ya, I didn't like the Rising book that much). I guess I wouldn't mind seeing a slight evolution..maybe some basic return of a little intelligence or memory, but that's about it.

I just got done reading World War Z and the Survival guide, and two things stick out in my mind.

NUMBER ONE - YOU MUST MAKE THE ZOMBIE MINDLESS, SLOW MOVING CREATURES. Max Brooks clearly describes why they are mindless and have no capacity for thought, memory, or intelligence. This would completely discredit the genuine horror of the books ability to describe creatures who have only one goal, who are programmed for only one thing. They also MUST BE SLOW. Fast moving zombies have been done in Dawn of the Dead and in a similar way in the 28 days/weeks movies. The Yonkers battle, the stranded helicopter pilot, the Japanese internet geek, and the blind gardener all were possible because of the way the zombies moved. THEYRE ZOMBIES!! They are slow, methodical, mindless killing machines. Please please please do not try to glorify or Hollywood-ize these nightmarish creatures. Their guttural moans are the stuff of nightmares, their incessant and determined pursuit of prey, no matter how far away. The terror lies in the fact that destroying the brain is the only way to stop them. The descriptions from the soldier in Denver on how hard it is to hit a direct head shot on a zombie while your hand is trembling is spine-tingling and realistic, while in Dawn of the Dead they are scoring head shots while being run at full speed. Fast zombies simply take the anticipation and tension out of the idea of a zombie invasion and just make it a simple-minded monster movie.

SECOND - A TRILOGY OR A HBO OR CINEMAX SERIES! The book is amazing, and can spawn so many stories and plot-lines from it. You can do a whole movie from the soldier's perspective! All the different aspects of the book, even from the survival guide, would make for a fascinating 12 part series. However it is done I hope it is long enough because: I am a zombie geek, and there is so much to cover.

I really hope they get this one right. The fast moving zombies of Dawn of the Dead and 28 days/weeks took the tension out of it, and the god awful aspect of zombies that can learn made Land of the Dead the worst film I have ever seen. Who wants to see some zombie crying because his "friends" are being killed? I dont want to see zombies learn how to do anything, let alone learn how to fire guns! HORRIBLE.

Please do it right, for the sake of all zombie nuts out there.

To address peoples problems of fast zombies, i agree wholeheartedly with keeping masses of zombies at around 2 mph. However nobody has yet said anything about the existence of feral humans. In wwz it is said by a army vet that they fought tons of these in the north. They are extremely fast, scream bloody murder, bite, and have some serious surprise scare potential.

Can someone please email me the script I've been looking for it tirelessly and have had no luck so far. If you can't email can you at least tell me where I can find it?

didn't read all of above posts yet, but in the book the zombies were slow and if the excerpts from the script are all word for word the same as those in the book (as was the case with the ones i read in this article) then rest assured zombie fans that these zombies are of the slow, shuffling, variety, but also are fairly strong.

To the guy who wants the script: It has indeed been leaked, and I possess the first and second drafts, if you want them. email me at alienbt@yahoo.com or ask alex johnson (the man who leaked it to me; DoomCanoe@gmail.com). My comp is terrible and the files are 25 MBs so I can't promise success, but I will try.

And to everyone else: The script says that the zombies are ferocious and aggressive, but it doesn't make a real distinction as to how fast they travel. It does, however, contain a piece where they lie down and rest when there is no quarry in their radius of sense, which I find to be blasphemy. Other than that, the script isn't exactly true to the book, but it's not bad, it's not bad at all. It will still kick ass and be defining and whatnot. Probably get Best Picture if they could find someone who's not an idiot to direct it.

The zombies cant run and they are as strong as the infected human. Just the shear numbers are what kills people.

Maybe he saw the words 'diving' and 'smashing' or other words like lunge and thought these implied running?
God, I will cut my wrists every night for a year if they make them fast.

Hm. I don't see anything that would indicate the zombies being of the speedy variant, except maybe the word "diving", which is rather worrying.

If those ****ers ruin this amazing source material I will drown them in a swamp so help me God.

about the fast zombies,uck if they were fast like in 28 weeks later, but in the zombie survival guide, athey have the EXACT same strength as a human, but there stupid, and decaying, so unless they're limping, it makes sense that they should run. HOWEVER, if they try to pull some i am legednd sh*t, i'm gonna be pissed

Zombies can technically be stronger because they dont get tired. whereas humans would quit when theyre muscles burned, zombies just go until the muscular system degrades.


oh and zombies walk. feral humans could run sure, but zombies aren't zombies without the zombie limp!

I have to put my two cents in for this whole fast vs slow thing.Ok first off the whole limp thing is to old.......and not the good old fastion zombie movies but one of the.......lets say shaun of the dead charecters pretending to be zombies walking with a gaping mouth and a "comical" arm stretch. So i have to go with the slow kind for this movie because of the scrip, it just sounds better and brings the raw terror back to the now "comical" zombie ajenda. well thanks for reading

Fast zombie's ruin the movie. Being able to punch out a window and drag people out of cars is EXACTLY like the book.

Running zombies ruins it for me. I'll hate you forever Brad Pitt, if you make this change. FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just read the newest draft for the WWZ movie. JMS is out and a new writer has been brought in. Brad Pitt to star in this film is a rumor and there's no truth to it.

This draft is completely different than the first and completely different from the book. That said - it's an amazing piece of writing and I look forward to the movie.