Brad Pitt to play lead role in `World War Z`

London: Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt will play the lead role in the zombie movie `World WarZ`. After months of speculation about the 46-year-old`s involvement in the film, Max Brooks, the author of the original book, has confirmed that the actor will be a part of the project, reported a news website.

Pitt`s production company `Plan B` secured the rights for creating the biopic after a bidding war with Leonardo Dicaprio`s `Appian Way`. The book tells the story of a man researching a zombie pandemic which killed a large amount of world`s population. In addition to `World War Z`, film studio Paramount has optioned rights to more of Brooks` projects, `The Zombie Survival Guide` and `The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks`. The screenplay of the movie was originally written by `Babylon 5` creator J. Michael Straczynski which however will be re-written by Matthew Michael Carnahan. The movie is expected to be released within next two years which will tighten up Pitt`s schedule who is currently working on a bulk of films, including Bennett Miller drama `Moneyball` and the animation `Megamind`. PTI