Fans were surprised when it was announced that a sequel to 2007’s I Am Legend was in the works. Especially because actor Will Smith, whose character dies in the ending of the film, was slated to return. Now actor Will Smith has discussed several details regarding I Am Legend 2.
As shared by Smith while he attended the Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia, via SFFGazette, he confirmed that the original film’s alternate ending is the basis for the sequel. For those unfamiliar with the alternate ending, Will Smith’s character actually survives.
Here’s what he had to share:
“I have a call with Michael B. Jordan tomorrow,” Will Smith first revealed. This confirms that Jordan is expected to have a role in the film alongside Smith.
“The script just came in. I’m probably giving away too much information. We’re going with the mythology of the DVD version where my character lived.”
“I can’t tell you any more,” Smith continued. Though he did confirm a second time that “Michael B. Jordan is in and we’re doing it.”
Akiva Goldsman wrote the screenplay for the film following his work on the original. The concept of both movies is taken from author Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel I Am Legend. The book was a major influence on both science-fiction and horror, having inspired such works as Night of the Living Dead, and sparked two previous film adaptations: The Last Man on Earth in 1964 and The Omega Man in 1971.
It’ll definitely be interesting to see how the alternate ending of the original film will be expanded upon. Additionally, with Will Smith returning as Robert Neville, Michael B. Jordan will certainly offer something quite different for fans to see this time around.
Hopefully we’ll have more details regarding the production of I Am Legend 2 in the near future. For now, this is certainly turning into a promising project, one that fans previously never thought possible.