Brad Pitt to star in World War Z

We have our first big piece of news from Comic Con 2010! World War Z author Max Brooks has confirmed that Brad Pitt will star in the film adaptation of his zombie-war novel.

Artist Daniel LuVisi’s concept art for the long-gestating project.

Brooks broke the news to MTV mere moments after being informed by Paramount Pictures. The studio also told Brooks that they would be targeting a mid-2012 release.

The rights for World War Z were acquired by Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment back in 2007. Since that time there has been plenty of speculation – although no confirmation – that Pitt would star. Until now.

The screenplay was originally written by J. Michael Straczynski (creator of Babylon 5) and has since been rewritten by Matthew Michael Carnahan (State of Play).

Brooks’ novel does not follow a grand narrative; rather, it is a collection of (obviously fictional) first-person accounts of the zombie apocalypse. It will be interesting to see how Straczynski and Carnahan have pieced it together into a cohesive film.

Paramount have also optioned the movie rights for Brooks’ other books The Zombie Survival Guide and The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks graphic novel.

Discuss: Although the concept of Brooks’ novel is rather ingenious, I wasn’t really a fan of the execution. What are your thoughts on World War Z, and do you think a movie can do the property justice?