Will Smith Opens Up About I Am Legend 2 Ideas With Michael B. Jordan

The original movie followed Will Smith as the last surviving human after a virus turns most of humanity into nocturnal monsters. Based on Richard Matheson’s novel of the same name, the movie centers around his attempts to survive the post-apocalyptic environment with his dog as he tries to cure the virus.

I Am Legend 2 will pick up after the alternative ending of the original, in which Smith’s character discovers that the infected he’d been treating like unthinking monsters are capable of sophisticated feelings and sets out to find other survivors. 

While the Will Smith version of the story is probably the most well-known today, it’s not the only adaptation of the book Hollywood has made. The Last Man on Earth and The Omega Man also adapted Matheson’s novel, though I Am Legend 2 would be the first to extend the source material with a sequel.

The book ended shortly after the film’s alternative ending, with the protagonist being tried and executed for the many creatures he’d killed before he recognized their humanity, which could serve as a hint to what the sequel might be about. 

Will Smith’s I Am Legend was released in 2007. It earned a sizable box office return of $585.4 million in theaters on a $150 million budget. While some critics took issue with the film’s ending and differences from the book, it was reviewed fairly well overall, with a 68 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Given the first film’s success, it’s no surprise that Will Smith is working on I Am Legend 2. In his optimistic update, he claims that he and Michael B. Jordan, who will have an acting role in the sequel, met up and spent a few weeks working on the project. While there’s nothing official yet, Smith claims that his work with Jordan generated good ideas for the project, which is great news.

I Am Legend 2 could help turn the post-apocalyptic story into another franchise for Will Smith, who is already the co-lead in the successful Bad Boys franchise. Smith’s approach to making franchises can be observed in his work with that franchise, which will release its fourth entry, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, this summer. Smith has stuck with the franchise for almost 30 years but has kept the releases scant, with Smith insisting he’ll only continue to make the movies if the quality remains high. 

For fans of the original, it’s good to hear that I Am Legend 2 is still being worked on. The sequel still seems to be in early pre-production, with Will Smith and Michael Be. Jordan still working on plot ideas, but it appears to be moving forward. Hopefully, the sequel will involve less heartbreaking dog death scenes than the original. 

Source: ET