The legend returns: The end time thriller "I Am Legend", released back in 2007 and starring Will Smith, is still considered a big favorite among fans of the genre and also proved to be a financial success. In 2022, exactly 15 years after the release of the first movie, a sequel was officially announced. It will also star Will Smith once again as Robert Neville. That should raise some questions, given the ending of Part 1. Well, in this new Original, we'll tell you what the sequel is all about and give you all the early details!

The Ending of "I Am Legend"

The plot of "I Am Legend 2" will probably lead to a bit of confusion for those who know the predecessor. It was about the scientist Robert Neville, who is supposedly the last living human being in a post-apocalyptic world and has to fight for his survival. He spends the day hunting antelopes and sending radio messages to possible survivors of a global plague. At night, however, he hides, as it is dominated by the infected, who avoid the daylight.

The end of the movie was rather sad: Robert catches an infected person and wants to test a potential cure on them. However, this causes other infected individuals to overrun his lab. In the ensuing battle, he dies, and his story thus seemed to be concluded.

However, an alternate ending was included as part of the film's home release, which explains Robert's return in the sequel: he realizes that the infected aren't after him at all, but only want to free the woman he captured. He also discovers that the infected are not soulless undead at all, but intelligent beings. They have created their own society and simply want to be left alone. After the infected person is freed, Robert is able to join other survivors on a journey to one of the last camps where other humans still exist.

The Plot is More Oriented Towards the Book

"I Am Legend 2" picks up the alternative ending of Part 1 and will tell a new story based on it. In an interview with Deadline, screenwriter Akiva Goldsman stated that the sequel will adhere more closely to the novel. According to him, the famous novel by Richard Matheson was about the fact that humanity's time as the dominant species on the planet had come to an end. That, he said, was a very interesting point to explore further. The theatrical ending, which was reshot under pressure from the movie studio, totally excluded this aspect of the novel.

Lead actor Will Smith also talked about the sequel in an interview with Entertainment Tonight at the beginning of 2022: At first, he didn't believe in a sequel. But when he heard about the idea on which Part 2 will now be based, he was convinced that "I Am Legend 2" could become a good film. He couldn't reveal any more details yet, but Smith believes it's a "really, really cool concept."

The "I Am Legend 2" Cast

Will Smith won't be the only big name in "I Am Legend 2". At his side we will see "Creed" star Michael B. Jordan. The actor has already played a number of impressive roles and recently made his directing debut with "Creed 3". First theories say that he could possibly play the son of Robert Neville. Will Smith revealed that Jordan also contributed significantly to the development of Part 2.

Akiva Goldsman was already in charge of penning the script for Part 1 and is continuing to do so for the follow-up. According to him, Part 2 is set a few decades after Part 1, and it will be important to check whether Will Smith has to be portrayed as older for the plot than he actually is. Whether "I Am Legend" director Francis Lawrence will also take over the direction again is still unclear.

"The Last of Us" as a Model for the Sequel

Goldsman disclosed that the famous video game "The Last of Us" will be used as an inspiration, having already been implemented in a magnificent series this year. The game impressively shows how nature reclaimed the earth after the outbreak of a pandemic, which they also want to illustrate using New York as an example. On the one hand, this statement is a bit surprising, since "I Am Legend" already depicted a New York dominated by nature many years before "The Last of Us" and, in turn, also served as an inspiration for "The Last of Us". On the other hand, the mention of the city itself attracts attention, since Robert and his companions actually leave the city at the end of Part 1 - at least in the version they want to refer to.

The "I Am Legend" Theatrical Release Date

We can look forward to seeing how the project turns out in the coming months. Originally, a theatrical release was planned for 2024, but this seems rather unrealistic at the moment given the writers' and actors' strikes. Those involved, though, leave no doubt that "I Am Legend 2" will be released sooner or later - in any case, there doesn't appear to be any lack of motivation.