I Am Legend – During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, people passed the time by watching movies, watching TV, and reading books.
The 2007 Will Smith movie I Am Legend was one of the works of media that received the greatest attention.
The split climax of the film led to a number of misunderstandings.
Although the theatrical ending gave the impression that it was a single effort, the alternate ending raised expectations for a sequel.
The version that was considered to be the correct version was hotly debated.
Will Smith will return to the film as Dr. Robert Neville, hence the alternative ending has officially been accepted as canon.
The news
Will Smith playing the same part in many sequel films has been considered throughout the years.
The earliest days before the infected overran New York would have been depicted in a 2008 proposal, which was eventually abandoned.
No action was taken after a second proposal.
Will Smith and Michael B. Jordan will serve as producers and performers for the I Am Legend sequel, which was officially revealed last year.
The film’s screenwriter, Akiva Goldsman, is also returning.
The first movie
I Am Legend, a 1954 book by Richard Matheson, served as a loose inspiration for the post-apocalyptic movie from 2007.
In the movie, a virus causes mass extinction, leaving just Robert Neville in New York.
Originally intended to treat cancer, the virus instead transformed its victims into Darkseekers, mutant vampires that only come to life at night.
Neville seeks to use his blood to create a cure with his immunity.
Sam, Neville’s sole canine companion, dies, and Neville leads an assault on the Darkseekers.
Two immune humans called Anna and Ethan respond to his broadcast and rush to save him.
Once Robert Neville discovers the remedy, the alpha Darkseeker that had been pursuing them the previous evening attacks his home.
Before imprisoning Anna and Ethan in a coal tunnel, Neville administers the cure to them.
He then kills himself and the Darkseekers with a grenade.
After that, Anna and Ethan arrive at a camp for survivors where they give the cure to the soldiers.
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Alternate ending
The alternative conclusion is a little bit more in line with the book.
When the Darkseekers invade Neville’s lab, the alpha doodles a butterfly that strikingly resembles the tattoo on the female Darkseeker that Neville had caught.
He returns the female instead of engaging in combat, which causes the alpha to look down on him and consider murdering him.
But, the alpha and the rest of the Darkseekers disperse.
Neville is aware that they think of him as a monster.
The next morning, he gives up looking for a cure and goes with Anna and Ethan to look for a survivors’ colony.
Inspiration
The changed ending will be followed by the subsequent I Am Legend sequel.
According to screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, the sequel will take place a number of decades after the alternative conclusion.
He also highlighted how The Last of Us’ HBO version was an inspiration.
“I’m obsessed with The Last of Us, where we see the world just post-apocalypse but also after a 20 – 30 year lapse,” said Goldsman.
“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.”
In order to be more clear, Goldsman opted to adapt the alternate ending’s plot for the sequel.
“What Matheson was talking about was that man’s time on the planet as the dominant species had come to an end,” said the writer.
“That’s a really interesting thing we’re going to get to explore. There will be a little more fidelity to the original text.”
The director of I Am Legend 2 is still unknown because the film is still in the planning phases.
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