The 2007 film I Am Legend is finally getting a sequel. This may be surprising news given how many years have passed since the first film was released. And, as equally surprising, it turns out that Will Smith is set to return for the sequel. Now writer Akiva Goldsman has revealed how that’s possible – and it has something to do with the alternate ending for I Am Legend.
Akiva Goldsman recently spoke with Deadline about his work on the sequel. He wrote the original 2007 film, based on Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel, and he’s returned to write this new continuation.
Here’s what he had to share about the setting of the new film:
“This will start a few decades later than the first,” Goldsman explains. “I’m obsessed with The Last of Us, where we see the world just post-apocalypse but also after a 20-30-year lapse. You see how the earth reclaims the world, and there’s something beautiful in the question of, as 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.”
Interestingly, he then mentions how the film will go back to the alternate ending for I Am Legend as its launching point:
“We trace back to the original Matheson book, and the alternate ending as opposed to the released ending in the original film. 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.”
This should certainly have fans eager to see where the sequel goes from here. There have been multiple adaptations of Matheson’s original novel. But this will be the first direct sequel to any of those adaptations – so here’s hoping it’s a good one. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates as we have them.
Will Smith will star in the film which will also include Michael B. Jordan. Additionally, Michael B. Jordan is attached as a producer for the project.