This article revisits the troubled production of the 2013 blockbuster World War Z, focusing on how its ending was salvaged by writer Damon Lindelof. Adapted from Max Brooks' 2006 novel — styled as a UN report chronicling the global political and industrial fallout of a zombie apocalypse — the film abandoned the book's multi-narrator structure in favour of a single hero, Gerry Lane, played by Brad Pitt. However, after wrapping in 2011, those involved were unhappy with the initial cut, prompting a full rewrite of the final act and extensive reshoots.

The film, directed by Marc Forster, was shot across England, Hungary and Malta and reportedly suffered problems including going over budget and a shipment of improperly stored weapons sent to Budapest for a climactic battle. Original screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski, followed by Matthew Michael Carnahan, devised the approach of building the story around the person who "wrote the report". When producers, including Pitt's company Plan B, grew concerned the film did not work, Pitt personally contacted Lindelof — the Lost co-creator known for divisive blockbuster work such as Prometheus and Star Trek — who reportedly pitched suggestions and was surprised when they were accepted.