Given that Dr. Robert Neville, Will Smith’s character, dies at the end of I Am Legend, creating a sequel seemed like a recipe for disaster. The theatrical ending of the Francis Lawrence-helmed adaptation of Richard Matheson’s spooky tale rendered a sequel all but impossible. But, this Michael B. Jordan-starring film has made its best move thus far because of the choice to rewrite the events of the first film.
Moving Forward
The announcement that Michael B. Jordan will appear in the sequel in an unspecified role comes before Creed III, which the actor not only appears in but also directed, opens early next month. At the European Premiere in London on February 15, the Hollywood actor revealed to journalists and virginradio.co.uk that: “I got plans, but I just don’t know exactly what they are yet. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around Creed III right now, but the Creed universe, I definitely want to expand.”
A Bit of Inspiration
Akiva Goldsman rejoins Warner Bros., the company that helped him develop his career as a writer, producer, and director over the course of 20 years. Two of his most notable productions are now receiving sequels. They are I Am Legend from 2007 and Constantine from 2005. The producer of the movie The Last of Us seems to be motivated by the HBO Original series‘ apparent popularity to make a sequel that picks up where Richard Matheson’s original book left off rather than the theatrically released conclusion.
The producer acknowledged his obsession with the post-apocalyptic fungi-infected reanimated corpses series in a Deadline piece. He finds the emphasis on the world’s ability to survive after the breakout appealing since it creates more room for character development. This definitely is a unique way of approaching the sequel to I Am Legend, but the producer has definitely made his presence known, and we just have to wait for bigger news regarding the sequel!