The production of 2013 zombie drama "World War Z" was notoriously plagued by problems, and now, it appears that the film's sequel could be in trouble, too: Studio Paramount has taken the flick off of its 2017 release schedule, with no firm replacement date in place.

"World War Z 2" was to have featured the return of original star Brad Pitt, and was initially slated for release this year on June 9. But production never got off the ground in time to meet that deadline, after director J.A. Bayona left the project last year to helm "Jurassic World 2." A replacement director was never selected, and thus, Paramount was forced to remove the flick from its schedule entirely.

While there were rumblings last summer that Pitt wanted to recruit his frequent collaborator David Fincher for the gig, a deal has yet to materialize and no other candidates have come forward. It's unclear why this sequel is taking so long to come together, though perhaps it has something to do with all of the behind the scenes headaches while filming the original flick.

The "World War Z" shoot was famously beset by problems from the beginning, with extensive rewrites and reshoots, a six-month production delay, a budget that ballooned to $200 million, a complete reworking of the ending, and reported clashes between Pitt and director Marc Forster. Despite that drama, the flick nevertheless went on to become a box office hit, raking in $540 million worldwide, and clearing the way for a sequel.

We'll see if that follow-up actually happens, though. Right now, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Paramount has tentatively rescheduled "World War Z 2" for sometime in either 2018 or 2019. Stay tuned.

[via: The Hollywood Reporter]