Max Brooks, author of the popular ‘World War Z’ novel wasn’t a huge fan of what they made into a movie. It lacked almost every aspect of his book aside from the name. That being said the man sat down with IGN for an interview and shared his insights on the positive points of it (which he was told directly be Stephen King himself) and shares his thoughts on a potential theatrical sequel.
IGN: Now I do want to ask about World War Z. You’ve expressed your opinion on the movie before, and I know it’s completely different from your book, but do you think in some ways the movie was a blessing in disguise, that it introduced new fans to your work?
Brooks: Oh, there’s nothing disguising about it. I mean, Stephen King said that to me. He said, “Look, no matter what happens with the movie, no matter how it turns out, there’s going to be a whole bunch of people that are going to be reading your book that have never heard of it before.” That’s the silver lining that all novelists have to hold onto when they go see the movie version of their book. So there’s no secret behind that.
IGN: Obviously, there have been talks about a movie sequel, but have you personally thought about revisiting your own World War Z universe and expanding it into another book?
Brooks: I have. To be totally honest, if I had the inspiration, if I though, “Oh my God, I’ve got to do this!” — because I write whatever I cannot not write. I have to write what’s in my head and has to come out. So if one day I wake up, or in the middle of the night, I wake up and think, “Oh my God, sequel. World War Z. I’ve gotta write it right now. It’s gotta happen,” then yeah, I’m gone. But if I did it now simply because it’s hot, simply because there’s demand, it would be Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money… So it’s all about the muse. It has nothing to do with the movie. They’re going to do whatever they’re going to do, and good luck to them. But whatever they do with the movie has absolutely no impact on my creative process. I’m gonna do what I’m gonna do, and we are clearly not going to affect each other.
IGN: Have you personally heard anything about the sequel? Would you be at all interested in contributing to it if Paramount asked you?
Brooks: You know, I’ve heard what you’ve heard. I just heard yesterday, I think, Viacom announced that last year’s profit went up 25 percent just on World War Z. Viacom. Wow. That’s kind of a big deal. So, I don’t know. I hear what you hear. Good luck to ’em. That’s I’ll say.
IGN: Also, I read last week that your comic series The Extinction Parade may possibly become a TV show at some point. Is there any truth to that?
Brooks: I can say that we are in negotiations with a company who has a stellar track record, that turns out not just successful material, but artistically valid and exciting material, and whose CEO is very cool and is someone that I really enjoy working with.
