Brad Pitt has already showcased his acting skills to the world by working on some highly acclaimed projects like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Moneyball. Not just that, but he also decided to produce films that further cemented his influence in the industry. Given that he is passionate about his work, he once got into a major battle with Hollywood’s heartthrob, Leonardo DiCaprio over a project. The outcome eventually made him the winner!
The duo who starred together in three projects together found themselves fighting each other to obtain the film rights to a zombie horror book by Max Brooks titled World War Z.
Brad Pitt Beat Leonardo DiCaprio Over World War Z Film Rights
Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio are two of the best Hollywood actors, but who would have thought that they would go on an all-out bidding war for a World War Z novel?
Well, it did happen as Max Brooks’ then-unpublished novel in 2006 garnered the interest of both the personalities company. In 2003, Brooks wrote Zombie Survival Guide which described the survival of a supposedly impending zombie apocalypse.
Having set their mind on the novel, Pitt’s Plan B, which is backed by Paramount Pictures, and DiCaprio’s Appian Way supported by Warner Bros went on a zombie bidding war. The former eventually secured the film rights to the novel in 2007.
Brad Pitt’s Salary in The Zombie Film, World War Z
As per the report by IrishExaminer, the Bullet Train star earned a whopping sum of $11 million for his portrayal of Gerry Lane, a former United Nations investigator in the 2013 film. As per the report, the actor resided in his five-star private estate during the filming, meanwhile his double, David Paterson, earned about $105 for the 18 hours.
His body double told the Daily Mirror,
“I was paid £80 but it wasn’t anything to do with the money. I’m not too fussed about that. I did it for the experience. You get asked to do something like that and you can’t really say no.”
He continued,
“I basically had to be Brad for the day and copy everything he did on screen.”
He also mentioned how the duo worked together for a couple of months.
“Brad was there the entire time, and they were filming over the course of months, so it must have been quite tough.”
The action-horror film received positive reviews from film critics with the film making a commercial success. Due to its success, the film grossed $540 million making it the highest-grossing zombie film of all time.
World War Z is available on Netflix.
Source: Irish Examiner
