While a prequel had been suggested, an I Am Legend sequel was eventually greenlit, with Michael B. Jordan signing on and Will Smith shockingly returning, even though Smith rarely returns for sequels. Though it'll be a while until an I Am Legend 2 actually arrives, there are still plenty of exciting updates.
Unfortunately, as revealed by director Francis Lawrence, the reason the I Am Legend twist ending was changed to the more heroic one seen in theaters after test audiences had intensely negative reactions to an ending that paints Robert Neville as the villain.
How many movies are based on the book I Am Legend?
The novel was a success and was adapted into the films The Last Man on Earth (1964), The Omega Man (1971), and I Am Legend (2007). It was also an inspiration for George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead (1968).
Yes, you read that right: Will Smith is set to reprise his role as the postapocalyptic survivor Dr. Robert Neville in a sequel to 2007's "I Am Legend." "I Am Legend" saw Smith play the sole survivor of an apocalypse that turns humans into seemingly mindless vampiric mutants, called Darkseekers.
I AM LEGEND 2 - TRAILER (2025) Will Smith | Based on the Second Ending | TeaserPRO's Concept Version
Why is Neville immune in I Am Legend?
Biography. During the early stages of the outbreak of Vampiris, Neville was bitten by a infected vampire bat, but as the bat was not human, the Vampiris it introduced into Neville's system through that bite acted as a vaccine against the disease.
The ending to the Alternate Theatrical Version varies from the original ending. Instead of blowing himself and the hemocytes up with a grenade, Neville discovers that the hemocytes actually came for the female he captured earlier in the movie. He relieves her of the cure and returns her to the hemocytes.
As for a direct follow-up, one of the reported reasons that I Am Legend 2 never happened, per HITC, was that Lawrence didn't find any of the ideas presented worthy of his efforts. I Am Legend is a story about the last man on earth. Robert Neville was a man alone in a dead world.
Abbey, the beloved dog from the 2007 film "I Am Legend," is still alive and well today. The German Shepherd, who played the role of Will Smith's loyal companion in the post-apocalyptic thriller, has retired from the spotlight and is now living a peaceful life in the care of her trainer, Karl Lewis Miller.
The original ending has Neville die after being ambushed by the Darkseekers after developing a cure for their mutation, but this ending is not a faithful re-telling of the book it's based on, 1954's I Am Legend by Richard Matheson.
Anna and Ethan were saved by Neville from the Darkseeker, and retreated into a reinforced plexiglass room in the basement with the specimen Darkseeker. There, they noticed that Neville's cure was in fact working and the unconscious Darkseeker was cured.
Robert Neville sees the mannequin he calls "Fred" outside on the street, it looks like the mannequin moves its head a little. During that scene, a mime replaced the mannequin to try and play with people's minds when they watched that scene.
In the context of I Am Legend, the butterfly is a powerful symbol of hope and resilience. This is evident in the moment when Robert Neville, played by Will Smith, sees a butterfly perched on a flower and is reminded of the beauty of nature and a time before the outbreak.
Kona has reportedly passed away, but Abbey was still alive as of 2022, so could she make a triumphant return as Sam in I Am Legend 2? Sorry, guys, but you gotta face it: Sam is dead. Robert Neville may have lived on in the alternate ending but Sam has definitely gone to the great dog park in the sky.
Loosely based on the 1954 novel of the same name by Richard Matheson, the film is set in New York City after a virus, which was originally created to cure cancer, has wiped out most of mankind, leaving Neville as the last human in New York, other than nocturnal mutants.
Left behind are a few stray survivors fortunate enough to be immune to the airborne virus, and the people who have been mutated by the virus into savage monsters called Darkseekers. I Am Legend is based on the novel of the same name by Richard Matheson, which was published in 1954.
I Am Legend 2 is a sequel to the 2007 film that sees Will Smith reprise his role as Dr. Robert Neville. Despite the theatrical release of the original film showing Neville's demise, the film picks up where the alternate ending left off, with Neville surviving and heading off to spread the cure.
No official release date has been announced for I Am Legend 2, as the project is still in the early stages of development. The sequel was first officially announced in March 2022 (via Deadline), with Akiva Goldsman set to return to pen the script after also writing the first movie.
However, the most devastating scene of the entire movie is when Neville's dog, Sam, gets infected with the Krippin Virus and begins to turn. Smith's character does everything he can to save her, but he ultimately is forced to kill his very last companion.
The movie 'I am Legend' has two different endings. In the theatrical cut, Neville sacrifices himself but before doing that, he takes a blood sample from the Darkseeker he kidnapped - that blood sample contains 'compound 6' which is the cure.
As their adrenal glands are constantly open, Darkseekers possess adrenaline-enhanced speed and endurance. Darkseekers apparently also gain a heightened sense of smell, as Neville had to bleach the scent on his home's doorstep before sunset, and the female specimen was easily drawn by a sample of Neville's blood.
