We learned that a sequel to 2007's apocalyptic survival drama "I Am Legend" was in the works back in 2022. At the time, Deadline reported that Warner Bros. had signed Michael B. Jordan and Will Smith to star and co-produce the sequel, with Akiva Goldsman (who co-wrote the original flick) on board to pen the new one.
We haven't heard much more about the sequel for a while, though Michael B. Jordan has finally offered up a progress report on the project. Jordan has just shared a progress update on the new flick, but if you were waiting for good news, you might want to click away. From the sounds of things, we'll have a wait on our hands before "I Am Legend 2" makes it to our screens.
Speaking to People, the "Black Panther" star said, "We're still working on the script and getting that up to par", before confirming that the movie doesn't have a release date in place as of right now.
It's not all doom and gloom, though. Even if it sounds like "I Am Legend 2" is still in the early stages of production, Jordan is still "really excited" to get to work with Will on the sequel.
He added, "I'm not sure exactly where we're going to be filming that one, but I'm really excited to get in front of the camera with him. Being somebody that I've looked up to for a really long time, to be able to work with Will is something I'm really looking forward to. I'm really excited."
What will "I Am Legend 2" be about?
The original "I Am Legend" was loosely based on the Richard Matheson novel of the same name, and told the story of Robert Neville (Will Smith), the last living man in New York City. Most of humanity has been wiped out by a version of the measles virus originally genetically re-engineered to cure cancer.
Those that didn't succumb to the virus people either died or were transformed into nocturnal mutant creatures called "Darkseekers." By day, Neville continues to try and develop a cure while searching for supplies; by night, he barricades himself inside his home to avoid detection, with only his loyal hound Samantha for company.
I'll be discussing the first movie's ending here, so if you've not seen it yet, don't read on! Spoilers ahead!
Francis Lawrence's 2007 feature ended with Neville handing over a cure to Anna, a fellow immune survivor. As they fled to take the cure to a survivors' camp in Vermont, Neville sacrificed himself to take out the Darkseekers that had broken into his lab. If this is the version you saw, you might be confused as to how Will Smith's character could be back in business.
Well, that's because the movie instead follows up on "I Am Legend"'s alternative ending, something writer Akiva Goldsman confirmed last year (per Deadline). In that ending, Robert Neville realizes that the Darkseeker Alpha was only trying to break into his to recover the female Darkseeker Neville had kidnapped as a test subject. Realizing he's become the monster to the nocturnal creatures, he apologizes and surrenders the body before abandoning his research and journeying to Vermont with Anna.
In that same 2023 interview, Akiva Goldsman teased that "I Am Legend 2" will be set a 'few decades later' than the first movie. He also pointed to fellow post-apocalyptic series, "The Last Of Us", as a particular source of inspiration.
Here's the full quote: "This will start a few decades later than the first. I'm obsessed with "The Last Of Us", where we see the world just post-apocalypse but also after a 20-30 year lapse. You see how the earth reclaims the world, and there's something beautiful in the question of, as man steps away from being the primary tenant, what happens? That will be especially visual in New York. I don’t know if they’ll climb up to the Empire State Building, but the possibilities are endless.
"We trace back to the original Matheson book, and the alternate ending as opposed to the released ending in the original film. What Matheson was talking about was that man’s time on the planet as the dominant species had come to an end. That’s a really interesting thing we’re going to get to explore. There will be a little more fidelity to the original text”, Goldsman concluded.
"I Am Legend 2" does not have a release date at the time of writing. You can buy or rent "I Am Legend" on Amazon and Apple.
