More than a decade after its 2007 debut, Will Smith’s post-apocalyptic horror “I Am Legend” is receiving a sequel.
After signing a multi-year deal with Warner Bros, “I Am Legend” writer Avika Goldsman confirmed that “I Am Legend 2” is in the works. The original film grossed $585 million worldwide, serving as an adaptation of Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel of the same name. It stars Smith in the lead role as virologist Robert Neville, a survivor of a man-made plague who works to find a cure.
Details surrounding the film are being kept under wraps, but here’s what we do know so far about “I Am Legend 2.”
Michael B. Jordan is set to star alongside Will Smith
Smith will reprise his role as Robert Neville alongside Michael B. Jordan, though details surrounding his character have been kept under wraps. Additionally, both Smith and Jordan will serve as producers of “I Am Legend 2.”
It will follow the alternate ending
Goldsman revealed that the sequel will follow the ending of Matheson’s novel and the original film’s alternate ending in which Smith’s character survives.
“We trace back to the original Matheson book, and the alternate ending as opposed to the released ending in the original film,” he said. “What Matheson was talking about was that man’s time on the planet as the dominant species had come to an end. That’s a really interesting thing we’re going to get to explore. There will be a little more fidelity to the original text.”
There were attempts to make a prequel
Following the original film’s success, there was speculation of a possible “I Am Legend” prequel. However, director Francis Lawrence disputed these claims in 2011, stating, “No, I don’t think that’s ever going to happen.”
‘The Last of Us’ inspired Avika Goldsman’s writing
The popular post-apocalyptic video game “The Last of Us,” which received an HBO adaptation starring Pedro Pascal in 2023, influenced Goldsman to begin writing “I Am Legend 2.”
“I’m obsessed with ‘The Last of Us,’ where we see the world just post-apocalypse but also after a 20-30-year lapse,” said Goldsman. “You see how the earth reclaims the world, and there’s something beautiful in the question of, as a man steps away from being the primary tenant, what happens? That will be especially visual in New York. I don’t know if they’ll climb up to the Empire State Building, but the possibilities are endless.”
Alicia Braga wants to reprise her role for the sequel
Alicia Braga starred in “I Am Legend” alongside Smith as a survivor of the vampire-like plague. By the end of the original film, Braga’s character Anna survives. However, in an interview with Collider, she revealed she did not know the sequel was in development. “I was super surprised and very curious,” she said. “I was almost jumping on the phone and saying, ‘Can I please be in it? Can I please be in it? Can I please be in it?’”
“I’m a huge Akiva fan, I think he’s such a wonderful writer,” she continued. “I was very excited to hear that they were continuing with the movie”
