Fans left wanting more after 2007’s box office smash “I Am Legend” are in for a treat, as Warner Bros. has officially given the green light to a sequel that will see Will Smith reprising his iconic role as scientist Robert Neville nearly 15 years later. Even more exciting, the studio has tapped acclaimed director Steven Caple Jr. (“Creed II”) to helm the project, reuniting him with Michael B. Jordan, who sources say is currently in negotiations to join Smith in the lead cast.
Based on the seminal 1954 novel by Richard Matheson, the first film told Neville’s solitary struggle to find a cure in a New York City overrun by mysterious mutant creatures after a deadly virus wiped out most of humanity. While the 2007 adaptation took some liberties with the source material, it was a massive box office hit, grossing over $585 million worldwide and cementing Smith as an action star.
What’s intriguing is that this sequel will not pick up where the original theatrical ending left off, but will instead follow the alternate conclusion made available on home video releases. In that version, Neville survives his climactic battle at the end – an outcome that now allows for Smith’s highly anticipated return to the role nearly 15 years later.
Plot details are still under tight wraps, but screenwriter and producer Akiva Goldsman, who has completed a second draft of the script, teased exclusive new details to fans at Comic-Con International. “We have a whole new playground beyond what you saw before,” Goldsman told an eager crowd. “It’s a world that returns in a spectacular way – an exciting new direction for the franchise.”
Insiders say the extended time gap of 15 years provides rich potential to explore how both the mysterious mutant creatures and remnants of humanity may have evolved in the ensuing time. There is also exciting speculation that elements originally present in Matheson’s novel but absent from the 2007 film, like the creatures developing human-like traits such as speech, could factor into the new storyline.
As buzz continues to build, many are wondering how director Caple Jr. and stars Smith and Jordan will choose to honor the beloved original while also envisioning enthralling new chapters for the “I Am Legend” mythology. Fans won’t want to miss the next issue for exclusive new updates on the highly anticipated return to this iconic post-apocalyptic world.
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