Summary
- I Am Legend 2 is moving forward at Warner Bros., continuing from the original movie's alternate ending that stuck closer to the novel.
- Will Smith's character, Dr. Neville, survives in the alternate ending, which is necessary for his return in I Am Legend 2 and aligns with the themes of the original novel.
- The use of the alternate ending in I Am Legend 2 may confuse audiences who are familiar with the original theatrical ending, but it is a better choice than using the theatrical ending.
I Am Legend follows Dr. Robert Neville as he navigates a post-apocalyptic New York, accompanied only by his loyal German Shepherd: Samantha. Neville, a virologist, attempts to concoct a cure for the vampiric plague that ended the world and turned the vast majority of humans into nocturnal mutants called Darkseekers. I Am Legend was an incredible financial success when it was released in theaters in 2007, grossing over half a billion dollars.
However, I Am Legend was criticized for changes made to Richard Matheson's 1954 novel of the same name. Much of this ire focused on I Am Legend's theatrical ending, which completely diverged from the book's. However, when I Am Legend was released on DVD in 2008, the theatrical cut of the movie was accompanied by an alternate ending that was far better received and stuck much closer to Matheson's thematic ideas. I Am Legend 2 jumping off from the original film's alternate ending is a great choice, but it does present a problem: it was seen by far fewer people.
I Am Legend 2: Confirmation, Cast, Story & Everything We Know
Will Smith is confirmed to return for I Am Legend 2, the sequel to the post-apocalyptic 2007 hit. Here's all the I Am Legend 2 news so far.
I Am Legend 2 Using The Alternate Ending Is Necessary For Will Smiths Return
Robert Neville Doesn't Die In The Now-Canon I Am Legend Ending
Will Smith has been confirmed as returning for I Am Legend 2, starring alongside series newcomer Michael B. Jordan (Creed III). However, in order for him to return as Dr. Neville, it is necessary for the sequel to follow I Am Legend's alternate ending. I Am Legend's controversial theatrical ending sees Neville confronted in his basement laboratory by a horde of Darkseekers, hoping to save the female Darkseeker he'd held captive in order to create a cure.
The Darkseekers attack Neville, but he sacrifices himself by blowing up his laboratory, having already given the Darkseeker cure to fellow humans Anna (Alice Braga) and Ethan (Charlie Tahan). However, I Am Legend's alternate ending sticks much closer to Richard Matheson's novel by having Neville survive. The novel ends with Neville realizing that the undead vampires are simply the next evolutionary step, and wish to kill him simply because he has killed so many of them.
He finally recognizes that he is a terrifying legendary figure to the vampires, just as they once were to humans. I Am Legend's alternate ending follows this much more closely, with Neville finally understanding that the Darkseekers are not monsters, and simply want to save the Darkseeker that he is holding against her will.
Instead of blowing everyone up, Neville apologizes for his horrifying actions and allows the Darkseekers to take the female Darkseeker away. Neville then accompanies Anna and Ethan to Vermont, in hope of finding a surviving human colony. Thus, with Will Smith's character only surviving in I Am Legend's alternate ending, it is necessary for I Am Legend 2 to pick up where that specific cut of the original movie leaves off.
5 Key Elements Of I Am Legend The Sequel Needs To Repeat (& Improve)
I Am Legend was a memorable success. Now, with I Am Legend 2 in the works, the new franchise needs to what worked the first time around.
I Am Legend's Alternate Ending Was Better Than The Original
I Am Legend 2 Will Pick Up From A Superior Conclusion To The Story
Neville sacrificing his life to allow Anna and Ethan to escape the Darkseekers in I Am Legend's theatrical cut completely misses the point of the ending of Matheson's novel.
Not only is I Am Legend's alternate ending necessary for Will Smith's return in I Am Legend 2, but it is also the far better ending. Neville's survival is necessary for the themes of Richard Matheson's original novel to properly land. In the book, Neville views his violent methods with the vampires as necessary for his survival.
However, when he is (ironically) confronted with their humanity, he realizes that he has turned into the true monster. Neville sacrificing his life to allow Anna and Ethan to escape the Darkseekers in I Am Legend's theatrical cut completely misses the point of the ending of Matheson's novel. Speaking with Deadline, Akiva Goldsman, the co-writer of I Am Legend and the producer/writer of I Am Legend 2, has come to realize that the original movie's alternate ending was better than the original.
Goldsman detailed that I Am Legend 2 is set several decades after the original and will explore the world long after "man's time as the dominant species" has ended. He also stated that he has been heavily inspired by HBO's post-apocalyptic video-game adaptation The Last of Us for the world of I Am Legend 2.
I Am Legend 2’s Zombies May Look Entirely Different (& That’s Good)
I Am Legend 2 will be set several decades after its predecessor, which means the zombies (AKA vampires or Darkseekers) could look very different.
I Am Legend 2 Using The Alternate Ending Risks Confusing Audiences
The New I Am Legend Canon Isn't Widely Known
However, there is one issue with I Am Legend 2 following on from the original movie's alternate ending. I Am Legend's alternate ending was only available to watch on home media, meaning that far fewer people saw it compared to the theatrical. While I Am Legend was a massive box-office hit when it was released in theaters, Warner Bros. was reportedly "disappointed" by its DVD sales.
This means that I Am Legend 2's major ending retcon risks confusing audiences who saw Will Smith die at the end of the original I Am Legend unless the movie finds a way to explain it well. One way of achieving this is by opening I Am Legend 2 with the original movie's alternate ending as a way to prepare audiences. Despite this potential to confuse audiences, I Am Legend 2 following I Am Legend's alternate ending is a far better idea than using the theatrical one.
Loosely based on Richard Matheson's 1954 novel of the same name, I Am Legend stars Will Smith as Robert Neville, a virologist who believes himself to be the last human on Earth. After a virus turns most of the world's population into vampiric creatures known as Darkseekers, Neville finds himself immune. Believing himself to be the last man of Earth, Neville stalks through the ruins of New York, hoping to create an antidote that will save humanity.
- Cast
- Willow Smith, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Will Smith, Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan
- Runtime
- 101 minutes
- Director
- Francis Lawrence
- Writers
- Akiva Goldsman, Mark Protosevich
- Studio(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures
