As the list of calamities pile up on Marc Forster’s long-troubled adaptation of “World War Z,” ranging from star Brad Pitt and Forster’s tense relationship to simply a nervous comment from Paramount, it can be hard to discern whether these contentious elements are simply a time-honored staple of studio filmmaking or something much more foreboding. However, a voice on the inside usually helps in these matters, and recently “Cabin in the Woods” writer/director Drew Goddard played down rumors of the film’s troubles, as well as his involvement on the zombie drama.
In June, it was Damon Lindelof’s name that grabbed headlines for his rewrite of the film’s third act — just before the project went into heavy reshoots — but as the workload stretched to several months past Lindelof’s commitment, duties were apparently passed down to Goddard from there. Along with potential help from writer Christopher McQuarrie, it was assumed that the majority of the labor landed on his shoulders, but naturally Goddard himself experienced it differently. "I think a lot of that got blown out of proportion,” he said, speaking to Collider, “I feel bad for the sort of magnifying glass that that movie’s under because this is just a normal part of the process, this is just what happens. My involvement was just watch the movie, give some ideas, write some scenes that might help, ADR, just sort of fill in stuff, which is what I did."
Again, Goddard reiterates the point that his duties were par for the course, but after seeing the work that Forster and Pitt put into the film, he may also have confidence in the final result that others don’t. "Out of respect for the filmmakers, I don't want to say too much about [the film], just because I owe it to them to let it come out as the they want. What I will say is that some of the stuff I saw was mind-blowing." High praise from someone who said the same about “The Avengers” prior to its release, so we’ll see the veracity of his words when “World War Z” finally opens on June 21, 2013.
Away from that world though, Goddard has been hard at work since impressing genre fans everywhere with 'Cabin,' and has been looking toward his next directorial effort ever since. After landing writing duties on Steven Spielberg’s “Robopocalypse” adaptation, it seems he’s also expressed interest toward a childhood hero of his: Daredevil. "You're talking to a guy who had quotes from Daredevil painted on his wall while growing up. Even when I was 18, I still had the blood red door with the, 'I have shown him that a man without hope is a man without fear.' That was what I loved and so it's the sort of thing that if we can find the right project, I would love to do it.”
Goddard has expressed his obvious interest to the studio, but admits he has no idea what his take on the property would be. It’s been almost ten years since Mark Steven Johnson’s pretty tepid version (although the director’s cut does have its fans), which is an eternity in studio franchise terms, and after David Slade dropped out, Fox are desperately searching for a director who can get the film in production before the end of the year when rights to the character will revert to Marvel, so news of Goddard's interest must be music to their ears. That said, would Goddard be prepared to give up his own projects (he says he's writing something new at the moment), and rush into shooting, particularly for a character he loves so much? Until we hear more solid news, we're happy just to look forward to his next original script. [Collider, via Comic Book Movie]