Based on Richard Matheson’s timeless tale about the last man on Earth following a devastating catastrophe, I Am Legend was released in December 2007. Starring Will Smith in the тιтle role, the post-apocalyptic action-thriller became an instant blockbuster, grossing $585 million worldwide against a $150 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). With such a strong commercial performance to go with positive critical reviews, it’s surprising that a big-screen sequel wasn’t made shortly after the movie’s release.
Although several efforts were made to produce a cinematic sequel to I Am Legend throughout the 2000s and 2010s, they never materialized. However, in March 2022, ᴅᴇᴀᴅline Hollywood announced rekindled plans to produce I Am Legend 2, stirring all sorts of fan theories and potential plot lines to be featured in the anticipated sequel. Since the announcement in March 2022, more details have come to light about I Am Legend, including the talent involved. Here is what is known about the project so far and what fans want to see most when I Am Legend 2 eventually hits the big screen.
Scrapped 2008 Prequel
Following the success of I Am Legend, Will Smith told Will Smith told Collider that there were tentative plans to produce a prequel rather than a sequel. According to Smith, “We have a fantastic prequel idea…we’re still trying to work through a couple of bumps in the story. It’s essentially the fall of the last city – the last stand of Manhattan.” Smith even joked that if the prequel were made, his canine companion in the original would be a puppy in the prequel.
But by 2011, I Am Legend director Francis Lawrence scrapped the idea and declared the project ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. It’s important to contextualize what we know about I Am Legend 2 now with what transpired over a decade ago, as it seems a drastic new direction has been taken in the upcoming screenplay. Despite the de-aging technology that’s currently in vogue, it’s safe to say that I Am Legend 2 will not serve as an origin story and will instead continue with the future of Dr. Neville’s post-apocalyptic journey.
Talent Involved
The next thing to know about I Am Legend 2 is the confirmed talent involved thus far. First of all, Will Smith will revisit the role of Dr. Robert Neville again in the upcoming sequel, despite dying at the end of the original (more details ahead). Even more exciting, Michael B. Jordan has been cast alongside Smith, although very few details about his character have been revealed at this time (via Variety).
If that wasn’t promising enough, fans should rest easy knowing that screenwriter Akiva Goldsman is also back on board to write the script for the sequel after penning the original screenplay. Both Will Smith and Michael B. Jordan will produce the film as well, suggesting their level of commitment to the project. With distribution coming from Warner Bros. once again, Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy will serve as executive producers on the project (via ᴅᴇᴀᴅline).
Alice Braga Is Interested in Returning
Another tidbit we know about I Am Legend 2 is the potential return of star Alice Braga, who portrays survivor Anna in the original film. Goldsman’s involvement with the screenplay has encouraged Braga to suggest her own name to be cast in the upcoming sequel. During a 2023 interview with Collider, Braga admitted that she’s been so busy that she didn’t even know a sequel was in the works, stating: “I was super surprised and very curious. 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?’”
Braga went on to cite Goldsman’s writing as the main draw for potentially starring in the tent-pole sequel, adding “I’m a huge Akiva fan, I think he’s such a wonderful writer. I was very excited to hear that they were continuing with the movie.” Considering what terrific work she has recently done in the popular Netflix crime drama Queen of the South and given the fact she recently starred in Warner Bros.’ The Suicide Squad, re-casting Braga as Alice in I Am Legend 2 seems like a no-brainer.
Goldsman’s Story Inspiration
For those who’ve never seen I Am Legend, zombie-like ghouls populate the post-apocalyptic wasteland that Dr. Neville traverses. In conjuring inspiration for the sequel, Goldsman confessed that he turned to HBO’s landmark TV series, The Last of Us, for cool new ideas. According to Goldsman, “I’m obsessed with ‘The Last of Us,’ where we see the world just post-apocalypse but also after a 20-30-year lapse.”
Goldsman continued his confessional love affair with The Last of Us, adding, “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.” With The Last of Us Part 2 tentatively planned for a 2025 release, the real question is whether I Am Legend 2 will come out before or after the acclaimed TV series.
The Story Will Focus on the Alternate Ending
The most important aspect of I Am Legend 2 that Goldsman relayed to ᴅᴇᴀᴅline pertains to the story and plot of the anticipated sequel. In the original, Dr. Neville heroically sacrifices himself and dies at the end of the story, an ending that director Lawrence was unhappy with. Neville’s death will be disregarded in the sequel and give way to the alternate ending featured in the film and Matheson’s adapted source novel. Here’s how the new story will play out, as Goldsman relayed to ᴅᴇᴀᴅline:
“This will start a few decades later than the first. 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.”
Between the alternate ending and the Last of Us inspiration, I Am Legend 2 has a real sH๏τ to eclipse the existential terror of the original.
Who Will Direct the Film?
With five confirmed aspects of I Am Legend 2 outlined above, it’s time to express what fans are left wondering about the most. The first thing worth asking is who will direct the big-budget sequel. Although Francis Lawrence directed the original movie, ᴅᴇᴀᴅline revealed that Lawrence is slated to direct a sequel to Constantine with Keanu Reeves reprising the тιтle role. As Goldsman put it, “We’re starting with two projects that are fun and very much Warners; the sequel to I Am Legend, with Will and Michael B. Jordan, and the sequel to Constantine with Keanu Reeves that Francis Lawrence is going to direct.”
Without a director officially announced or attached to the Warner Bros. sequel, fans can only wonder who will shepherd the franchise reboot. Could it be Ryan Coogler, Jordan’s longtime collaborator who directed Black Panther? Will Lawrence direct Constantine and I Am Legend 2 back to back? Perhaps Antoine Fuqua, who directed Will Smith in his most recent film, Emancipation, will land the gig. In any event, whoever is named director of I Am Legend 2 will almost certainly affect the anticipation level for the movie.
Michael B. Jordan’s Character
The next thing about I Am Legend 2 that is worth wondering relates to Michael B. Jordan’s movie character. With zero details provided about who he will play in the sequel, the possibilities are endless. Of course, given the respective ages of Smith and Jordan, it’s logical to ᴀssume that they would perhaps play father and son. If not, it’s possible that the two characters are related in some form or fashion.
While Smith and Jordan playing family members or allies is a possibility, fans have begun to speculate about an even more tantalizing prospect. In August 2023, MovieWeb expressed a fan theory suggesting that Jordan might be cast as “An intelligent Darkseeker, leader of these strange creatures who can communicate with Dr. Neville. This way, I Am Legend 2 might be more about the question of what really makes a monster, a message the first movie didn’t have a chance to deliver.” Considering the options, pitting Smith and Jordan against each other as hero and villain makes the most dramatic sense. However, only time will reveal the details of Jordan’s character in the film.
When and Where Will the Movie Take Place?
Given all the tidbits and factoids revealed about I Am Legend 2, one thing that is left up in the air is the setting. Remember, Smith alluded to a potential prequel moving from Washington D.C. to Manhattan. Goldsman also mentioned the post-apocalyptic vision of New York as an exciting prospect, but also admitted that “I don’t know if they’ll climb up to the Empire State Building, but the possibilities are endless.”
If the plan is to revert to Matheson’s source novel, then the question about the location remains. Matheson’s novel takes place in 1976 Los Angeles, a much different location and time period featured in the original movie. To keep the action fresh and create a sequel that feels more like a companion piece than a rehash, setting the movie on the West Coast would be an inspiring idea, especially if the plan is to adhere to the 1954 novel. And how much time will pᴀss – 20 years, 30, or more? The question about when and where I Am Legend 2 will take place still looms.
Types of Villains
Another prospect about I Am Legend 2 fans want to know about relates to the types of villains featured in the film. The 2007 film features light-sensitive zombie ghouls who stalk the streets of New York. However, in Matheson’s novel, the creatures are clearly vampires that adhere to the traditional mythology of the immortals. They are pale, fanged, nocturnal bloodsuckers who resemble human beings at first glance. So, what types of supernatural villains will be featured in the sequel?
Considering the mᴀssive success of the original film, the easiest thing would be to replicate the quasi-vampiric zombies found in the first film. However, this could be a mistake. To fashion a truly riveting and unpredictable sequel, introducing a whole new breed of enemies to threaten Dr. Neville would be wise. Moreover, pitting new villains against the Darkseers (Lightseers, perhaps) would almost certainly ratchet up the tension and increase the dramatic stakes substantially.
тιтle & Release Date
Last but not least, fans want to know when I Am Legend 2 will hit theaters and what the тιтle of the film will be when it does so. According to IMDB, the film is currently referred to as Unтιтled I Am Legend Sequel, and has an unspecified 2023 date attached to it. Yet, with just a few weeks left in the calendar year, there’s virtually zero chance the sequel will be released in 2023.
As fans await the official release date of the Unтιтled I Am Legend Sequel, entertaining the possibilities of a potential тιтle could be a fun exercise. I Am Legend 2 seems obvious, although it’s pretty bland and unimaginative. Given the phrasing of the original тιтle, it’s possible that Warner Bros. decides to go with a cheeky тιтle like I Am Legend Again or I Am Second Legend. In any event, given all that fans know about the upcoming sequel, the best thing to know is what the movie will be called and especially, when it will come out.
