Almost two decades ago, I Am Legend became a hit, grossing over $585 million worldwide. One producer is finally giving an update on a sequel. The film has a legendary lineage. Based on the novel by Richard Matheson, I Am Legend was originally adapted in 1964 starring horror icon Vincent Price. The film’s plague-ravaged world and hordes of vampirish creatures helped influence George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead four years later in 1968. Three years after Romero’s film, The Omega Man with Charlton Heston would adapt Matheson’s novel while leaning into the new zombie paradigm. Warner Bros. attempted to reboot the film multiple times, often hitting budgetary and creative walls until Will Smith, Akiva Goldsman, and Francis Lawrence came on board to create a global hit. A sequel was announced in March 2022, surprising many fans because (19-year-old spoiler warning) the main character dies. Goldsman was asked recently about the sequel, and surprisingly, Will Smith’s character dying is not the holdup.
While promoting his new film Practical Magic 2, Akiva Goldsman was recently asked about I Am Legend 2 , slated to star Will Smith and Michael B. Jordan. It appears the sequel is still potentially happening, but is having its own struggles in development hell. The writer has apparently hit some unexpected obstacles while trying to bring the project to the screen. “I have run up against a series of obstacles that I refuse to allow to defeat me,” Goldsman said. “We’re pressing on. We’re trying. We’re doing everything we can to get it made.”
Akiva Goldsman gives an update on "I AM LEGEND 2"
"I have run up against a series of obstacles that I refuse to allow to defeat me. That is the truth of that one. We're pressing on. We're trying. We're doing everything we can to get it made."
(Source: @RadioTimes) pic.twitter.com/ZxMzN6xkDD
Over the years, Warner Brothers has tried to reboot I Am Legend multiple times with stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 1997, Ridley Scott wanted the Terminator actor to star in his attempt at an adaptation. They were almost into production in Houston when WB pulled the plug over the ballooning $100 million budget. Five years later Schwarzenegger returned to the project, but this time as a producer with Michael Bay directing and Will Smith starring. Both Bay and Schwarzenegger would leave the project, but Smith would stay on to star for director Francis Lawrence with a script from Akiva Goldsman. Now it seems like Goldsman is facing development problems of his own on the sequel.
When I Am Legend reached home video, audiences were given an alternate ending as a bonus feature. Internet fan boards and news sites lit up with commentary that the newly released ending was far superior to the theatrical cut. In the alternate cut, Smith’s Dr. Robert Neville realizes the creatures are only trying to get back the member of their group that Neville had kidnapped. That finale allowed the doctor to live and come to a certain understanding that like himself, the creatures were just trying to survive as best they knew how. It’s from that alternate scene that the new sequel would build its story and allow Will Smith to return to the role.
The sequel to I Am Legend was announced just weeks before the 2022 Oscars. After Will Smith took to the stage and slapped Chris Rock, projects around him slowed to a crawl. Several studios halted development on movies with Smith and the actor stepped away from the spotlight while navigating the controversy. After a pause, Sony moved forward with Bad Boys: Ride or Die. It’s haul of $405 million made it clear that Will Smith, while now controversial, was hardly box-office poison.
Another potential hurdle has been Warner Bros. as a studio itself. Depending on how executives feel about the project on any given day it could be in turnaround or get a green light. In the intervening years between I Am Legend’s release and now, the studio has had multiple ownership changes, creative leadership shakeups, and now a merger with Paramount. With WB potentially changing hands again, executives have plenty of reason to be cautious about committing to another expensive franchise film.
Clearly Akiva Goldsman hasn’t given up on the franchise with his latest update. Whatever roadblocks are in the way, Goldsman appears to be making an honest effort to overcome them while still being honest and direct with fans waiting for an update. At this point, Smith is still reportedly embedded in the current version as the star and producer. It appears that the delay isn’t for lack of trying, but for whatever reason, I Am Legend is facing just as many struggles getting to the screen as its legacy would imply. Hopefully, we’ll get to see our favorite Shrek quoting biologist sooner rather than later.
