10 Movie Stars Who Ruined Their Own Movies
4. Brad Pitt - World War Z
There's no denying that adapting Max Brooks' beloved zombie novel World War Z into a blockbuster film was an extremely tricky task, given that the book is basically an anthology of short stories taking place in the wake of an undead apocalypse.
The rights to the novel were acquired by Brad Pitt's production company Plan B in 2007, and though earlier drafts of the script centered the film around a UN employee interviewing survivors of the zombie war - as in the novel - this was eventually tossed out once Pitt was also confirmed to star.
Because no movie studio was ever going to greenlight a zombie movie where Brad Pitt of all people travels the world and interviews survivors, it was of course retooled into a more conventional action-horror movie.
What started life as an adaptation that attempted to capture the spirit of the novel, was transformed into a generic zombie film intended as a star vehicle for Pitt.
It certainly worked to an extent, as reviews were solid and it turned a decent profit following extensive reshoots, but as an adaptation of Brooks' novel? It stinks.