Warner Bros. is officially making I Am Legend 2 with Will Smith back to star, and he'll be joined by Michael B. Jordan. Originally released in 2007, I Am Legend starred Will Smith as Robert Neville, a brilliant scientist who survives a virus that mutates humans into vampire-like beings. The movie was a huge hit for Warner Bros. over a decade ago as it made $585 million worldwide. This led the studio to continue discussing the possibility of making another installment, even though I Am Legend's original ending controversially included the apparent death of Will Smith's character.
Talks of I Am Legend 2 have been in various stages since 2008, but the door for the sequel appeared to close in 2014. It was instead announced that Warner Bros. was working on a reboot of Richard Matheson's novel. Movement on a new I Am Legend movie went quiet ever since then, but that changed recently when it was discovered that Warner Bros. was developing a new entry in the franchise. It was unclear at the time whether this new film would be a reboot or a sequel to the 2007 film.
Now, it has been announced that I Am Legend 2 is happening with Will Smith returning to star. Deadline shared the news that Smith is back to produce and star in the long-awaited sequel, which will also see Black Panther and Creed's Michael B. Jordan star and produce. It is the first time Will Smith and Michael B. Jordan will work together on a movie. Akiva Goldsman is working on the script for I Am Legend 2 but plot details have not been revealed. There is currently no known deal for a director or a release date set.
It is unclear what stage in development I Am Legend 2 is in, which leaves some doubt as to when audiences will be able to see it. However, the development of the sequel and Will Smith's involvement is a big surprise. It suggests that the sequel will somehow retcon I Am Legend's ending where Neville seemingly kills himself and a group of mutants with a grenade. There is an alternate ending that director Francis Lawrence wanted which showed Will Smith's character survive and leave New York to continue developing a cure. Whether I Am Legend 2 makes that alternate ending canon or comes up with a different way to bring Smith back remains to be seen.
While there are still plenty of work that still needs to be done on I Am Legend 2, the early prospect of seeing Will Smith and Michael B. Jordan share the screen is exciting itself. It will also seemingly re-explore this world more than a decade after the original movie, which could allow the sequel to show what happened to the virus and Darkseekers. I Am Legend 2 could even potentially revisit Akiva Goldsman's previous sequel ideas that included cloning Neville to bring Smith back. In any case, hopefully there is more news soon on what exactly this sequel will be about.
Source: Deadline