I Am Legend Sequel Moving Forward
Like most Will Smith movies, I Am Legend was a pretty massive hit back in 2007, earning Warner Brothers a cool $585 million in box office receipts. Since then they’ve been trying to figure out how to get Will Smith to return for a sequel… which, if you’ve seen the movie, you’ll know is a little bit tricky. They had been talking about doing a prequel for a few years now, but the problem with that idea is that it wouldn’t have zombies in it. Well, now this week it has been announced that Warners are officially moving forward with true successor to I Am Legend. We still don’t know exactly how they’ll pull it off, but we do know who will be writing the script. Don’t worry… it’s no one you’ve heard of.
According to Deadline, Warner Brothers has hired a guy named Arash Amel to write the I Am Legend sequel with Akiva Goldsman returning as producer. Amel recently wrote a Grace Kelly biopic of sorts called Grace Of Monaco that will be directed by Olivier Dahan (La Vie En Rose), and it seems like that may be what won him the job. He also wrote an upcoming spy thriller called The Expatriate starring Aaron Eckhart.
Surprisingly, Will Smith has not yet signed on for the film, and will wait until the script is written to decide. While it might be possible for them to do a lower budget sequel without him, the article says that they are still fully intending for him to reprise his role as scientist Robert Neville. The way I see it, this means there are two possibilities: either his character will appear in flashbacks or they will continue from one of the original film’s alternate endings instead. What do you think, could a sequel to I Am Legend actually work? Would you still be interested in such a thing if Will Smith wasn’t involved?
Comments (4)
I hated this movie. If they were to make this anything like the book, it would be wonderful.
Posted by mark on February 17th, 2012I was really enthusiastic about the first one, with will smith. I went out and bought I am Omega, and The Last Man on Earth. I thought both of those captures parts of the book. This one captured nothing other than the names. For someone who has never read the book,….this movie is ok. But for fans,… it is a huge let down. TO ME, what makes this book great is 2 things: 1. The explanation of the vampire defenses, like why mirrors dont work and why crosses Do. ETC The second: The ending.. WHICH EXPLAINS WHY IT IS CALLED I AM LEGEND, without that, the title does not make sense
Posted by Eric in TN on February 18th, 2012Sounds like a cash grab. The original character dies, that was the point of the book in the first place and what made him ‘Legend’.
As for a prequel, sure, but whats the point if the thing is supposed to be postapocalyptic and, yea as Eric said above, would make the title COMPLETELY FUCKING POINTLESS.
But if I can remember I guess it can be like Fountain in which it shows WIll Smith trying to cure cancer, and that he may have known of the consequences to what he was doing and proceeded anyway for the good of mankind of for selfish reasons.
That plot could work.
Posted by Kurei Scott on February 19th, 2012Eric you nailed it. I loved how they explained his defences, how he would use garlic and nail boards during the day, sometimes find vampires in houses and kill them and take them to a giant pit and burn them. He would research and stockpile food during the day.
It would describe how his neighbor would always chant his name at night “nevvvvvvile” and women would make obscene gestures to get him to come out. Then of course the ending, which was brilliant. I would love to see him just doing his thing with himself narrating.
The cgi vampires were shitty, they weren’t even people. The whole thing sucked.
Posted by mark on February 19th, 2012Leave a Reply