‘World War Z,’ ‘G.I. Joe’ Sequels Confirmed By Paramount CEO
Sequels to Brad Pitt’s troubled zombie flick World War Z and G.I. Joe: Retaliation were recently confirmed by Paramount Picture CEO Philippe Dauman.
During a summer filled with lackluster big-budget endeavors, Paramount Pictures walked away with a few hits on their hands. Dauman explained during a quarterly earnings call on Thursday (November 14) that the studio had a handful of follow-ups in the cinematic oven.
Not only is Paramount moving forward with additional installments of World War Z and G.I. Joe, the studio is reportedly putting together another Star Trek movie. If you had any concerns that these motion pictures wouldn’t happen, then you can rest easy tonight knowing that several sequels are on the way.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount Pictures was the only studio this summer that didn’t have one of its tentpole movies crash and burn at the box office. Since the movies made plenty of money from moviegoers, the studio doesn’t mind throwing some cash at the proposed sequels.
Not only did the Dauman promise follow-ups to World War Z, Mission: Impossible, Star Trek, and G.I. Joe, COO Tom Dooley discussed a few of the animated flicks Paramount has in the works at the moment. Juging from these recent comments, the studio is definitely striking while the cinematic iron is hot.
“We are currently in production in partnership with Warner Bros. on ‘Interstellar,’ which is directed by Chris Nolan. Paramount has a number of animation projects in the pipeline, with ‘SpongeBob’ and ‘Monster Trucks’ scheduled as the first films to be released under their animation label,” Dooley explained during the earnings call.
Why is Paramount so eager to move forward with these sequels? Let’s follow the numbers for a second. The Wrap reports that Brad Pitt’s World War Z earned approximately $540 million during its global theatrical run. Star Trek Into Darkness, meanwhile, took home $467.4 million worldwide. When you look at the figures, it all makes sense.
Director Jon M. Chu’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation didn’t do too shabby at the box office either. According to Box Office Mojo, the $130 million follow-up to Stephen Sommers’ G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra made approximately $375 million from moviegoers around the globe.
As for the next installment of the Mission: Impossible series, Paramount hopes to have the movie in theaters by Christmas 2015. This is assuming, of course, that star Tom Cruise’s controversial comments about the military don’t completely derail his other cinematic efforts. Considering the backlash he’s received as of late, that’s a very strong possibility.
Are you excited about the World War Z and G.I. Joe sequels?
[Image via Paramount Pictures]
