After previously taking the film off its calendar, Paramount Pictures looks to be moving forward with a World War Z sequel, with David Fincher directing and Brad Pitt back to star, thanks to the studios new chairman and CEO Jim Gianopulos, according to knowledgeable sources.
 
While Gianopulos has not officially official greenlit the movie yet,  he is expected to do so in coming weeks. This will likely be among the  studio chiefs first greenlit movies.
 Sources say that production would  probably begin in the first quarter of 2018.
 A spokesperson for the studio has not yet responded to a request for comment.
   
Variety first reported last s
ummer  that Pitt had been courting Fincher to direct the pic and that the  director was intrigued by the idea. The plans had to be put on hold  while Pitt dealt with his divorce from Angelina Jolie, and were put into  question once the studio, then headed by Brad Grey, took the film off  the calendar to consider whether or not to move forward with the  tentpole.
 Gianopulos has since taken over the studio reins and over the past  month, has been weighing which projects to pursue and let go from the  previous regimes slate.
 If the deal is finalized as expected, it would mark a big  milestone in the long development process that started last summer. Pitt  met with a handful of directors but nothing materialized until he  decided to reach out to Fincher to try and woo him for another  collaboration.
 Gianopulos has a long standing relationship with the director, going  back to Finchers most recent film, 2014s Gone Girl, which Gianopolus  gave the go-ahead to when he was chairman at 20th Century Fox. Fincher  and Pitt made their 1999 feature Fight Club at Fox.
 Fincher hasnt directed a film since Gone Girl. The filmmaker has  been turning his attention to television as of late. He recently shot  the Netflix pilot Mind Hunters.
 Sources say that Fincher, who is weary of sequels, having aired his  displeasure during his time on Alien 3, has always been open to  listening to Pitt when the actor reaches out. The duo nearly  collaborated on a reboot of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea for Disney a  few years ago, but that project never move forward.
 A Fincher-Pitt reunion on World War Z would mark their fourth film  together, having previously worked on Se7en, Fight Club, and The  Curious Case of Benjamin Button.