A sequel to the 2007 post-apocalyptic dystopian film I Am Legend has been announced. According to Deadline, the follow-up film will return with Will Smith and add Michael B. Jordan to the cast. The script is being written by Akiva Goldsman, who wrote the original movie. When released, the movie will mark the first time the two actors will star side-by-side and produce a big-budget project.
The first installment featured Smith as virologist Robert Neville who was the sole survivor in New York City following a man-made plague that transformed humans into bloodthirsty mutants. In the movie, he worked to find a cure while battling the physical dangers of the world and the mental pressures of being its only human inhabitant.
I Am Legend also featured actors Alice Braga, Charlie Tagan, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Willow Smith, April Grace, and more. It was directed by Francis Lawrence. The original movie was based on the 1954 novel of the same name authored by Richard Matheson.
The film opened to $77 million and continued to gross $256.4M domestic and $585.4M worldwide. According to Insider, the veteran actor was not satisfied with the numbers despite them earning the film the biggest December opening for a non-Christmas release. During an episode of The Oprah Conversation released in November 2021, he explained why.
“I’m excited for 30 seconds, and then my mind drifts and I say to J, ‘Hey, why do you think we missed 80?” Smith recalled. “He said, ‘What?’ And I said, ‘No, it was 77, do you think if we would have adjusted the ending? Because I wanted the ending to feel more like Gladiator. He’s like, ‘It’s the biggest opening in history, ever. What are you talking about?’ I’m like, ‘J, I get that, I’m just asking why do you think we missed the 80?'”
No plot details have been revealed about the sequel.