Summary
In 2007, Will Smith starred in the post-apocalyptic action thrillerI Am LegendbyConstantineandThe Hunger Gamesdirector Francis Lawrence. Smith portrayed Dr. Robert Neville, a U.S. Army virologist who becomes the last man on Earth after a virus wipes out the globe. Neville does everything he can to stay alive in a lonely New York City and find a cure for the virus but finds himself fighting aggressive, cannibalistic mutants called Darkseekers.
I Am Legendwas a huge critical and box office success for Smith, and while a prequel was initially planned, there are reports that a sequel is now in development. Smith will return for the next film, andCreedstar Michael B. Jordan is also on board. Who will Jordan play inI Am Legend 2, and how can the sequel improve on the original film?
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What happened at the end of I Am Legend?
In the original theatrical ending, after learning that he isn’t the only survivor left on Earth, Dr. Robert Neville tries to protect survivors Anna and Ethan from Darkseekers who end up infiltrating Neville’s home and laboratory. Neville uses firearms and explosives to stop them, but when several Darkseekers enter the lab, Neville attempts to convince them that there is hope for a cure (which turns out to be in a female Darkseeker’s blood after lowering her body temperature with ice). However, the leader of the Darkseekers still intends to kill Neville, so the virologist takes out some of the female Darkseeker’s blood and gives it to Anna so she and Ethan can take the cure back to other survivors. Nevillesacrifices his own lifeand kills the Darkseekers with a grenade.
In thealternate ending, the Darkseekers attack Neville’s lab, with the leader of the pack drawing the shape of a butterfly on a glass door to try and break it. Neville notices that the butterfly shape is similar to the tattoo on the female Darkseeker’s neck (Neville’s patient) and that they were just trying to get her back. Neville returns her to the group and apologizes. As the Darkseekers leave, Neville looks at photos of his test subjects and believes that he has become a monster to the infected people he’s experimented on.
Neville then decides to leave his laboratory and go with Anna and Ethan to find the survivors’ colony in Vermont. Unlike Anna’s monologue in the original ending where she mentions how Neville’s sacrifice to find the cure was legendary, she says “You are not alone” in the alternate ending, reflecting on Neville’s intent to change and move forward from his experiments, and that she wants to help him.
Is I Am Legend 2 officially in the works?
Initially, director Francis Lawrence stated thatWill Smithwould reprise his role as Robert Neville in a prequel revealing what happened before the Darkseekers invaded New York City, and how Neville and his team battled those who were infected. However, Lawrence didn’t believe the prequel would be made because it would be unoriginal and contain the same themes as in the first film such as loneliness and survival. There were also ideas to create a reboot that could mark the beginning of a franchise and make it reminiscent of the Western film,The Searchers.
In March 2022, it was officially announced that a sequel toI Am Legendis in the early stages of development, with Smith once again portraying Neville and the addition ofMichael B. Jordanto the cast. Smith and Jordan will also produce the sequel, with Lawrence potentially coming back to direct and Akiva Goldsman returning to write the script. While Jordan’s role inI Am Legend 2is unclear, there’s speculation that he won’t play a human but rather a Darkseeker who would serve as a strong antagonist for Smith’s Neville. The sequel is also expected to take place decades after the events of the original film.
How can I Am Legend 2 improve on its predecessor?
I Am Legendisone of the best post-apocalyptic featuresever made not only because of Will Smith’s emotionally charged performance as the intelligent Neville but also because the film explores what it means to be alone in the world and the struggles of survival. The visuals of empty New York City streets perfectly symbolize Neville’s depression and isolated state of mind.I Am Legend 2will undoubtedly continue to explore these themes while also building upon the story and drawing inspiration from Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel (also titledI Am Legend).
Since the alternate ending ofI Am Legendis now considered the main conclusion rather than the initial theatrical ending, it will be intriguing to see how Neville’s story continues since the protagonist is still alive rather than dead. Some questions that should be answered are whether Neville has overcome his loneliness and if or how he intends to continue searching for a cure to the virus. Along with Smith’s Neville and Jordan’s undisclosed character, will survivors Anna and Ethan return for the sequel, and will the survivors' colony in Vermont be depicted?
There’s also the question of how big of a threat the Darkseekers will continue to be considering that many of them let Neville live in the alternate ending after he returned his female patient to them. This ending could be a sign of hope for the future and that some Darkseekers may become allies for Neville and other survivors, but that other Darkseekers (potentially Jordan’s character) are still villains intending to wipe out the rest of humanity. The sequel can also explore other locations rather than New York City to show how the virus has impacted other parts of the world. While there are still many questions about the sequel,I Am Legend 2has the potential for greatness due to the talents of Smith and Jordan and could be the start of a newsci-fi franchise.
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