AT: I feel like that’s interesting because most would probably argue that Americans don’t have the mindset to work together and tackle something as big as a zombie attack.
MB: I was in New York on 9/11 and I think we were amazing. The whole idea of a terrorist attack was to sow terror. New York wasn’t terrorized. I spent the whole day going from hospital to hospital trying to give blood and the lines were out the door. The whole city was looking for ways to help.
They were evacuating calmly, nobody was running around screaming, “Oh my God, we’re all going to die.” And if there was ever a time to do it, that would have been it. Instead, the city came together and said, “Okay, what do we do now?”
AT: That’s funny, because in every movie, New York falls instantly.
MB: Right. It’s the first city to go. Look at the black out that happened a few years later. Everyone was like “Oh my God, here it comes: riots, looting, race wars.” No, but it was little bodegas handing out ice cream because it was going to melt. And maybe our greatest weakness is that we don’t see a threat coming. While Al-Qaeda is plotting and planning, we’re listening to Oops, I Did It Again. So we’re not good at foresight, but when we actually do get punched in the face, we get up really quickly.
So yeah, if there was a zombie outbreak, we probably wouldn’t be so good on the uptake. We would probably let it get out of control. We’re not good at prevention. But once it did get out of control and once we were kicked, we would get it together. The first third of every war we’ve ever fought, boy did we screw it up. Oh every level, military, political, home front, but then we get it together.
AT: How do you think different parts of the country would react?
MB: It’s interesting because you would think that certain areas of the country would do better because there aren’t a lot of people and they have more guns, but I’m not 100% sure because it really depends on the cities. I lived most of my life in LA. We wouldn’t do as well as New York because we’re not a city. We’re a loose confederation of communities. We’re wrapped around our cars and our homes and our freeways. We don’t know our neighbors as well. Look at the Rodney King riots. LA just exploded. There were riots all over the country, even in Canada. But in New York? Peaceful demonstrations.
AT: Then, I’m staying here.
MB: I really think New York would do well. There’s a reason in World War Z why I call it the Hero City. It’s not just because of 9/11, it’s anything that happens. New Yorkers, they rally.
AT: I think another thing I really liked about World War Z was that it didn’t have one of those “Give me a break” action heroes who doesn’t stop running for four days.
MB: You haven’t taken a drink of water. You haven’t had to take a piss.
AT: Right. I love Tolkien and I grew up reading him, but that was always my issue. You’re telling me that they’re literally running across a continent?
MB: That’s the fantasy world. You can run without having to take a drink of water. You can drink from a stream and not get diarrhea.
AT: I feel like those stories have been poached a little bit too much elsewhere. Even The Road was a bit that way.
MB: There’s an Oh, Come On factor in a lot of that. For me, I’m not coming from a fictional point of view – history is where I get all of my ideas – so I look at the WW2 generation. There weren’t a lot of super human dudes. There were a few craz-o’s who could kill 30 Japanese soldiers with a rock, but that’s not how we won. We won because the average schmuck was put in a uniform and sent out to war and he did his job. And the average woman who has never been out of the house was suddenly riveting together battleships. It’s the idea that normal people could do extraordinary things. I think that’s where the idea for World War Z came from.
You don’t want the one guy doing everything. You want everyone doing a little bit because we have before. We stopped Hitler. We stopped the Japanese. When we get our act together, it’s amazing what we can do. And I want people to identify with that. You don’t want to have the difference between Superman and Batman. I love Superman. He’s probably my favorite superhero, but I can never be Superman. I’m not from Krypton. But Bruce Wayne is just a dude.
AT: He does have a lot of money though.
MB: But if he didn’t, he’d still be Batman. He wouldn’t have a Bat Mobile, maybe he’d have the Bat Moped, but he’d still be Batman.
AT: He’d be Kick-Ass.
MB: He’d be Rorshach. I look at the uber-man, alpha male heroes and know that’s not me.
I’m a huge Tom Clancy fan and I think that’s why he’s had such a successful career. You look at Jack Ryan and think he’s a regular guy. Where as someone like James Bond is so suave, so successful and has sex with millions of women without getting a single disease. I could never be James Bond, but maybe I could be Jack Ryan.
AT: And I think that’s why The Zombie Survival Guide is so popular. It’s a book for the average person.
MB: I make it a point to say that you’re not going to be a zombie hunter. It’s not a book for the professional zombie hunter.
AT: Would a professional zombie hunter work?
MB: No. The problem with being proactive is unless it’s a zombie pandemic, how do you tell a decapitated zombie from a decapitated person?
Let’s say there’s one zombie in all of New York and he happens to wonder into this room. We grab him, wrestle him to the floor and smash his head in with a chair. Then, the cops come in and all they see is a dead body with a smashed head. And we say “No, officer, that was a zombie.” That’s not going to work.
AT: So let’s stick to being average Joes?
MB: I think a zombie hunter better get a really good lawyer. If you roll up on your bike, chop off a head and say, “My work here is done,” you may be in trouble.