(Left) Director Steven Caple Jr. on the set of ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto/Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production. (Right) Will Smith in ‘I Am Legend,’ 2007.
Advance:
- ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ director Steven Caple Jr. is being considered for ‘I Am Legend 2.’
- Will Smith and Michael B. Jordan star in and produce the film.
- Akiva Goldsman is writing the script and directing the film.
Since the last proper update in an attempt to make a sequel to 2007’s post-apocalyptic Will Smith suspense ‘I’m legend‘It happened back in 2022, you might be forgiven for forgetting it was happening.
However, despite the excitement at the time (especially with the news that Smith would be starring again and this time joining ‘Creed‘ and ‘Black Panther‘ actor Michael B. Jordan) and the occasional minor update on his status, things have been pretty quiet so far.
Writer and producer Akiva Goldsman used an appearance in a Collider Producers panel at this weekend’s festival San Diego Comic-Con to reveal that he was still busy writing, having met with Smith and Jordan and having started a second draft.
And although the original film was directed by Francisco LawrenceIt seems that he is too busy these days with ‘The Hunger Games‘ prequel movies and make an adaptation of Stephen King‘s’The long walk‘.
Now, According to DeadlineThere’s a new name in the mix, like ‘Transformers: Rise of the BeastsDirector Steven Caple Jr., who had been in early talks to direct a sequel that merged Robots in Disguise with ‘G.I. JoeThe Warner Bros. film franchise is now the first choice to handle it.I am legend 2‘.
The trade site is at pains to point out that it’s very early days for this and that the studio has met with other directors, but Caple Jr. has a useful advantage: he worked with Jordan on ‘Creed II‘.
Related article: Will Smith and Michael B. Jordan to star in ‘I Am Legend’ sequel
What is the story of ‘I Am Legend’?
Will Smith in ‘I Am Legend’ from 2007.
‘I Am Legend,’ in case it’s stuck in the hazy recesses of your memory, saw writers Goldsman and Marco Protosevich adaptation Richard MathesonThe much-lauded 1954 novel depicted a world where a devastating virus had wiped out nearly all of humanity and turned the rest into vampire-like mutants who roam the world in search of victims.
Robert Neville, the story’s protagonist, embarks on a mission to find the scientific basis for the pandemic that caused all this and recounts his increasingly stressful encounters with his former human companions.
The book was adapted into films several times, including 1964’s Revenge of the Sith.The last man on Earth‘, 1971The Omega Man‘ and then the 2007 film.
In that adaptation, directed by ‘ConstantineAs Neville, Smith is an army virologist surviving in a crumbling New York City and searching for a cure for the virus that caused all the trouble, which was originally a mutated strain of measles meant to cure cancer. His wife and daughter were killed in a helicopter crash while trying to escape a quarantine in Manhattan and Neville has company in the form of his German Shepherd dog Sam.
And to avoid any spoilers for the movie (even though he’s already 17), we’ll just say that things don’t go so well for Neville. However, there was an alternate ending (seen in some home entertainment releases) in which he survived.
Where will ‘I Am Legend 2’ go?
Will Smith in ‘I Am Legend’ from 2007.
According to screenwriter Goldsman, the plan for the new film is to continue the story in the world where Smith’s character lives and trying to survive in a vampire-infested landscape still isn’t easy.
Here’s what Goldsman had to say at Comic-Con about the idea:
“The world is coming back in spectacular fashion, an exciting playground for us all, not your father’s ‘I Am Legend.’”
When will ‘I Am Legend 2’ be released in theaters?
The sequel to ‘I Am Legend’ still has no set release date.
Director Steven Caple Jr. on the set of ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ Paramount Pictures and Skydance Present in association with Hasbro and New Republic Pictures, a di Bonaventura Pictures Production, a Tom Desanto/Don Murphy Production, a Bay Films Production.