It’s been a little while since we’ve gotten an update on the ‘World War Z’ sequel, and it hasn’t been clear if the new film would feature any of the characters from the first installment, or if it would take a page from Max Brooks’ original book and focus on a new story and characters. According to writer Steven Knight, it’s going to be the latter, as he approaches writing the story with a “clean slate.”

Knight, who wrote and directed last year’s incredible (and fantastically minimalistic) ‘Locke’ starring Tom Hardy, is currently working on a treatment for ‘World War Z 2.’ In an interview with Thompson on Hollywood, Knight provided this small update on the project:

He’s writing the treatment for the sequel for Brad Pitt’s Plan B’s ‘World War Z,’ which is set to shoot in October for 2016 release. “I thought, ‘why not? What fun.’ It’s not quite like the other, we’re starting with [a] clean slate. When they’ve signed off we’re on.”

“Why not?” he says! Knight’s involvement is definitely promising, given how crazy good ‘Locke’ is—the fact that it didn’t land on more best-of 2014 lists is nuts. But Knight confirms something here that should make fans of Brooks’ novel happy, as the ‘World War Z’ sequel will apparently feature new characters and a new story. Brooks’ original book was presented as an oral history in which a reporter documented individual stories from around the globe in a fictional future where a zombie outbreak has overtaken the world.

Although fans seemed a little turned off by the way the first ‘World War Z’ film approached adapting the material, the movie was still a surprisingly huge success, earning over $500 million worldwide—OK, it’s not that surprising: when you combine zombies with Brad Pitt, you’ve got a guaranteed hit.

Knight, who’s known for his scripts for ‘Eastern Promises’ and ‘Dirty Pretty Things,’ also wrote the screenplay for the upcoming film ‘Seventh Son’ (yeah, now you want to see it). He’s also reuniting with his ‘Locke’ star Tom Hardy for the upcoming eight-part miniseries ‘Taboo,’ which will premiere on both the BBC and FX.

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