Summary:
- In a recent interview, Will Smith gave fans some intriguing updates about I Am Legend 2, a movie where he will reprise the iconic role of Robert Neville.
- Michael B. Jordan will star alongside Smith. He’s also the co-producer of the sequel.
- I Am Legend 2 will continue the alternate ending of the first movie, which sees Robert Neville surviving the Darkseeker attack.
After 17 years of waiting and waiting, I Am Legend 2 is back in the spotlight thanks to a fresh update from Will Smith. The 2007 hit I Am Legend featured Smith as Robert Neville, a scientist and the sole survivor in New York City after a virus turned the population into nocturnal zombies called Darkseekers.
The film was a commercial and critical success and sparked talks of a sequel, which was finally confirmed in 2022, with Smith set to star alongside Michael B. Jordan as a new unknown character. However, details and updates have been sparse since the announcement.
Speaking with ET, Smith shared that the sequel’s development is progressing, highlighting a recent meeting with co-star and co-producer Michael B. Jordan. No exact date is confirmed for the movie, though
“We had a couple weeks together about a month ago. I think it’s looking good. [We have some] really solid ideas… I think we’re going to make it on screen together. That dude is the truth, so I would love to do that,” shared the Men In Black actor.
Loosely based on the titular novel written by Richard Matheson, the 2007 film directed by Francis Lawrence concludes with Neville’s heroic death, blowing himself up alongside a horde of Darkseekers, saving Anna and Ethen in the process. This ending leaves fans puzzled about his return in the sequel.
However, regarding this problem, Smith clarifies that I Am Legend 2 will regard the film’s alternate ending as canon. This ending, more aligned with the original 1954 novel, depicts Neville surviving the Darkseeker attack, after he learned that in the zombies’ eyes, the humans are as much of a threat. In the last moment, Neville comes to understand the Darkseekers, even apologizing to the alpha male of the pack.
This ending suggests that the Darkseekers can also feel human emotions and even have a functional society among themselves, making fans wonder what’s next for Neville: will he still try to cure the Darkseekers, or will he leave them be and try to live together? Therefore, the alternate ending receives much better reviews from both fans and critics, while also serving as a perfect foundation for the sequel.
Details about I Am Legend 2 remain under wraps, but Akiva Goldsman is set to return as the screenplay writer. It’s still unclear if other original cast members, like Alice Braga, who played Anna, a survivor who finds a colony of humans, will rejoin Smith in the sequel.
Currently, Will Smith’s next big project is Bad Boys: Ride or Die, the fourth installment of the beloved action-comedy franchise. Smith and Martin Lawrence will reprise their roles as the dynamic duo Mike and Marcus, alongside Paola Nunez, Vanessa Hudgens, and Jacob Scipio. The movie has already done filming, and will hit theaters worldwide this July 7.
As anticipation builds, Smith’s latest insights offer a glimpse into the ongoing efforts to bring a compelling follow-up to I Am Legend, making fans excited for what is to come in the much-awaited sequel.
