The upcoming Brad Pitt zombie flick World War Z will have a few scenes removed prior to its release in China.
Executives at Paramount approved the removal of a scene that suggests the zombie outbreak began in China. Since the studio is interested in showing the movie in the country’s theaters, the potentially offensive scene was cut from the feature .
Since China has a quota on the number of Hollywood movies it will show in theaters, the removal of the scene from World War Z increases the likelihood of the film being screened in the market. An insider close the production told The Wrap that another country will be singled out as the culprit.
“It’s not a huge plot point. But it’s safe to say [they’re] going to want a release there,” the source explained.
This isn’t the first A-list Hollywood movie to have scenes removed in order to play in China. Andy and Lana Wachowski’s Cloud Atlas had several straight and gay sex scenes cut before it arrived in Chinese theaters. Around 20 minutes worth of footage was excised from the film.
The James Bond flick Skyfall also had footage removed prior to screening in China. A scene where a Chinese bodyguard is shot was edited from the film. References to Chinese officials torturing British agents was also cut from the feature.
Marvel Studios recently announced that Iron Man 3 would get exclusive footage for its release in China later this year. The Chinese version of Shane Black’s superhero sequel will include more footage featuring actor Wang Xueqi.
The edition of Iron Man 3 released in China will also see the addition of popular actress Fan Bingbing. Her character will be exclusive to this particular cut of the movie. It’s unclear if the footage will be contained on home video releases of the sequel.
The upcoming Brad Pitt flick casts the actor as a father who is forced to contend with a zombie apocalypse. The film had a very storied production on its way to the big screen.
What do you think about Paramount cutting World War Z prior to its release in China?