Warner Bros.
Despite the fact that Will Smith’s Dr. Robert Neville very clearly died in the original 2007 film I Am Legend, he’s still set to star in the upcoming sequel alongside Michael B. Jordan. And here’s how.
According to a new report from Deadline, the sequel will treat the alternate legend of I Am Legend — in which Will Smith’s Robert Neville is able to convince the hoard of zombies that he’s working on a cure and survives the assault on his house — as canon.
“We trace back to the original Matheson book, and the alternate ending as opposed to the released ending in the original film. What Matheson was talking about was that man’s time on the planet as the dominant species had come to an end. That’s a really interesting thing we’re going to get to explore. There will be a little more fidelity to the original text,” Goldsman said in an interview with Deadline.
Released in 2007, I Am Legend grossed over $585 million at the global box office and has long been considered one of the best films of Smith’s career.
In addition to the I Am Legend sequel, producer Akiva Goldsman also confirmed that a sequel to Constantine is in the works with both Keanu Reeves and director Francis Lawrence set to return. Given that Constantine is a DC title, the film will likely be a “DC Elseworlds” project and will not exist within James Gunn’s new established DCU continuity.
Both films are similar in the sense that they’re legacy sequels to projects that have only grown in reputation since their release in 2005 (Constantine) and 2007 (I Am Legend). In fact, following the John Wick franchise and Smith’s Oscar win, it could be argued the pair are more famous now than they were when the original films were released.