I Am Legend 2 is finally in the works, but to succeed, it will need to repeat and improve upon the successful elements of the first film. A post-apocalyptic movie with only one main character and an otherwise abandoned city full of zombies/vampires/Darkseekers could easily have flopped, but I Am Legend managed to pull it off. This can, of course, be attributed to Will Smith's performance as Dr. Robert Neville - the supposed last man on Earth. But, additionally, it was a combination of other factors that made the film so memorable, something I Am Legend 2 can duplicate.

I Am Legend 2 will be set decades after the events of the original film's alternate ending, which opens up the possibilities. Obviously, this allows Smith to return as Robert Neville since the character didn't die in this ending. Additionally, it allows for much more exploration of the Darkseeker society, which was revealed to be far more complex than Neville thought just before he left New York for the colony in Vermont. There is a good foundation for a great story, however, with I Am Legend 2 following its predecessor after more than 16 years, it will need to elements of the original to be as much a success.

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3 I Am Legend 2 Must Keep A Small Main Cast

One of the most intriguing things about I Am Legend was that Neville was the only human character (in the present) for a great deal of the film. Seeing Smith's character alone in New York City drove home his loneliness, giving the actor an opportunity for a unique and impactful performance. Robert Neville's loneliness was central to the I Am Legend books, and the importance of this was well adapted. However, it began to fall apart when more humans showed up, and even more so when Neville and Anna found more survivors in Vermont.

If I Am Legend 2 hopes to be even more successful than its predecessor, it should return to the "last man on earth" plot. Keeping a smaller cast is a risk, but one that has been proven (especially in regards to Smith) to work with audiences. Of course, given the assumption that Neville found more surviving humans in both the official and alternate ending of I Am Legend, it seems this won't happen. Then, it becomes all the more unlikely when considering actor Michael B. Jordan's mystery casting in I Am Legend 2. Still, Jordan could always end up being a Darkseeker, meaning Neville could return to being alone.

2 The Abandonded Cities Can Be Taken Further In I Am Legend 2

I Am Legend explored the fascinating idea of how quickly nature would begin to take over cities and homes if humans were suddenly gone. It certainly wasn't the only post-apocalyptic world to do this, but it sought to tackle the concept on a far grander scale. To audiences watching the film, Robert Neville's New York City felt like far more than a movie set. It was big, wild, and eerily empty. Throw a mournful-looking man into the scene, and it suddenly had a hauntingly beautiful - but terrible - quality.

Now, with the timeline jump expected for I Am Legend 2, the movie can take this idea even further. I Am Legend showed what New York looked like only a few years after the Krippin virus wiped out most of its civilization. Now, the sequel can explore what it will look like after several decades. Likely, it will be unrecognizable. Perhaps the streets will be a forest with the occasional coffee shop tucked in a tree, or the escaped zoo animals will have become even more out of control. Regardless, I Am Legend 2 can have a lot of fun creating an even more breathtaking setting.

1 I Am Legend 2 Needs Sympathetic Darkseekers

A significant difference between I Am Legend and the book it was based on was the Darkseekers. In the novel by Richard Matheson, those who survived the virus became violent and monstrous by typical human standards, but Robert Neville ultimately learned that they were capable of community and love. What's more, they could as uninfected humans, as one woman did in an attempt to get even with him for killing her lover. I Am Legend's original ending did away with this idea entirely, but the alternate ending saw more human-like monsters.

Now, I Am Legend 2 can take this even further by making the zombies from I Am Legend look entirely different. This should be easy to pull off with the time jump since there will have been plenty of time for the infected Darkseekers to evolve out of their more monstrous-looking forms. This should also add suspense since audiences would be left trying to guess who the 'monsters' are, just like Robert Neville. Finally, it would mean that I Am Legend 2 could move as far from the CGI monsters as possible.

Robert Neville Must Sacrifice Himself In I Am Legend 2

Smith's character is still a problem in I Am Legend 2. If Neville survives, then the profound meaning behind the title is thrown out the window. Therefore, even though it's still not the same reason as the book, Neville's sacrifice ending being included in I Am Legend 2 would at least give the 'legend' meaning again. It would combine the emotional impact of the original ending with the social exploration of the alternate one.

I Am Legend 2 Needs To Draw Inspiration From The Book

I Am Legend's alternate ending restores this to a point, but many valuable aspects of Matheson's book were still lost.

This can change in I Am Legend 2. All the best elements of I Am Legend came directly from the books, so if the sequel is to perform as well, it needs to embrace these and more. Robert Neville is a legend in the book because he was the last uninfected human on Earth. This made him the last of a species - and one who was considered a monster by those infected by the virus since he frequently experimented on and murdered them. This was the premise that the I Am Legend book was built on - and what the movie's alternate ending hinted at - but I Am Legend 2 can bring it home.