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It didn’t quite pass the smell test considering what was brewing in the works. Earlier this year, reports flew around that David Fincher‘s “World War Z” sequel might be gearing up for a fall 2018 shoot. It seemed unlikely then, given what we were hearing and sources close to the project have confirmed to us that it’s definitely not happening at all. That’s because, quietly in the works, Fincher’s Netflix show “Mindhunter” season two is next. And not only upcoming, but production begins at the end of this month. Fincher and crew have been in pre-production for months holed up in Pittsburgh and they’re gearing up for a lengthy shoot to follow-up their critically-acclaimed serial-killers show starring Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany (“Fight Club“).

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The untitled “World War Z” sequel draft is still in development and apparently not ready quite yet, but some scouting has taken place in Bilbao, Spain, Sweden, Texas and other locales around the world. Fincher will be occupied with “Mindhunter” throughout the summer and into the fall with post-production, so you can put away those hopes of a “World War Z” follow-up going into production any time soon. Try next fall maybe?

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Not that it matters because the script isn’t quite there, but Brad Pitt‘s schedule can be something of an issue too. He’s U.S. bound for the next little while until his custody battles are sorted out (hence staying home in L.A. to shoot Quentin Tarantino‘s next ’70s, Hollywood-set movie this summer).

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Written so far by Steven Knight (“Eastern Promises,” “Peaky Blinders,” “Taboo,”) and Dennis Kelly, the screenwriter behind the U.K.’s “Utopia” — a show that Fincher was once going to adapt for HBO — I’m honestly not sure who’s rewriting the script right now, but it’s still considered in development.

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Released in 2013 by Paramount (the under the direction of the late Brad Grey, Pitt’s former Plan B co-founder) “World War Z” was directed by Marc Foster and underwent a disastrous production that spilled out into the press (a rewrite so extensive that production stopped so the ending could be rethought, rewritten and shot from scratch). With rumors of the budgets skyrocketing up towards $200- $250 million, everyone presumed Paramount had a huge bomb on their hands, but the zombie action drama went on to gross $540 million worldwide which lead all parties to believe there was much more life left in the tank.

More soon.