The last time we heard anything about the proposed followup to Francis Lawrence’s I AM LEGEND was last May, when Lawrence himself commented that it appeared to him that an encore to the 2007 hit was dead… Based on today’s news, it looks like the man spoke too soon; never underestimate a studio’s desire to replicate a massive success. (I AM LEGEND grossed over $500 million worldwide.)
According to Deadline.com, Warner Bros. has closed deals with Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment and producer Akiva Goldsman to work on I AM LEGEND 2 (let’s just call it that for now). Smith is expected to reprise the role of scientist Robert Neville, who attempted to find a cure for a vicious plague while thinking he was the last human on earth.
There aren’t any story details available, but it appears as though it’s not the prequel the studio attempted to launch back in 2008. (Which begs the question, how does Smith fit in? SPOILER ALERT: He friggin’ blew up at the end of the last one. END SPOILER ALERT.)
Newbie scribe Arash Amel (the forth coming EXPATRIATE starring Aaron Eckhart) is penning I AM LEGEND 2. It’s not known whether or not Lawrence will sit in the director’s chair again. The question is: do you care?