Brad Pitt To Star with Israeli Actress in New Movie
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
An upcoming Brad Pitt movie will shine the Hollywood spotlight on at least one lucky Israeli actress.
Marc Forster, the film’s director, has been in Israel this week to cast one of the story’s supporting roles – a female Israeli soldier who recounts her experiences during a major recent war.
The twist, as far as the Middle East is concerned, is that the combatants in “World War Z” aren’t Israelis and Arabs, or Sunnis and Shiites, but humans and zombies. The story’s Israeli character is just one of several survivors interviewed by a United Nations representative.
In addition to Pitt and Forster – the director of the most recent James Bond movie – the film will feature the work of Milo Ventimiglia, star of the now-kaput TV series “Heroes.”
According to Israel’s Ynet news Web site, front-runners for the role of the Israeli soldier include Ania Bukstein, a staple presence in Israeli film and TV, and Gal Gadot, a former Miss Israel with Hollywood screen credits that include “Entourage” and “Knight and Day.” (In a scene also starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey, Gadot chatted briefly in Hebrew with Mark Wahlberg last year in “Date Night.”)
Based on a book by Max Brooks – the son of Mel – “World War Z” portrays Israel as responding effectively to the zombie crisis, sealing its borders and staying relatively unscathed. The book paints an apocalyptic picture of the war in most of the world, with the conflict toppling other governments and even setting off a regional nuclear war.
If only Israel was as prepared for disasters in real life.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
