Summary
I Am Legend 2will add to the original movie’s lore, but there’s one revelation in particular it can include that originates in the pages of the source material. Originally published in 1954,Richard Matheson’sI Am Legendserves as the inspiration for the 2007 moviestarring Will Smith. While Matheson never penned a sequel to his book, the story of Smith’s version of Dr. Robert Neville will continue afterI Am Legend2leaves the pre-production phase.
Despite his character dying at the end of the original movie, Will Smith will return to lead theI Am Legend 2cast. Thealternate ending of 2007’sI Am Legendappeared on the DVD release, whereSmith’s character survived the events of the film. In a surprising move, the upcoming sequel will canonize the previously discarded finale and allow Smith to reprise his original role. However, the unconventional decision isn’t the only twistI Am Legend 2can feature.
I Am Legend 2 Wishlist: 8 Things We Want From The Sequel
I Am Legend 2 has plenty of fascinating directions to take its story, with possible inclusions of details left out from the book and lingering plots.
I Am Legend 2 Can Prove The Darkseekers Are Able To Talk
Matheson’s original I Am Legend monsters were vampires capable of speech
I Am Legend’s Darkseekers are monstrous cannibals who don’t speak. Instead, they make animalistic vocalizations that lend credence to the fact that they are no longer human. They’re more akin to zombies than anything else, which isn’t how they’re portrayed in Matheson’s original version. In the 1954 book, the creatures are essentially textbook vampires, who only come out at night and have all the traditional vulnerabilities - including garlic. One of the most interesting disparities is that the vampires can speak just like humans, and Robert Neville converses with them. This would be an excellent addition toI Am Legend 2.
To those unfamiliar with the source material, the Darkseekers suddenly being able to speak in the upcoming sequel may seem like a random addition, but it would actually be a brilliant way of turning back to Matheson’s work and allowing it to inform the franchise’s future.Neville’s overall dynamic with the enemies in both versions of the story are very different, so introducing this facet from the book and integrating it with the movie universe would reduce the disparity in an interesting and faithful way. It would also reduce the risk of just making the same film again.
Michael B Jordan is confirmed to have been cast inI Am Legend 2, but his character’s name has yet to be revealed.
I Am Legend Being Released So Long Ago Works In Favor Of The Darkseekers' Development
2007’sI Am Legendis set in 2009, which is three years after the initial outbreak that created the Darkseekers. If the sequel’s timeline matches the real world’s, then at least 15 years will have passed since the events of the original movie by the time of its release. This gives the Darkseekers a great deal of time to develop into a version of the creatures more similar to those in the source material. They’ll likely never be traditional vampires, but granting them the power of speech doesn’t seem beyond the realm of possibilities, giventhe Darkseekers have human origins.
The vampires also have names in theI Am Legendbook, the most prominent being Ben Cortman and Ruth.
The book’s ending reveals the vampires are building a new societyin the wake of the old world’s downfall, essentially believing themselves to be the next stage in human evolution. Such an arc for the Darkseekers would be incredibly compelling, and 15 years is a good amount of time for them to have moved away from their ways of mindless feasting and develop into sentient beings who are making headway regarding the establishment of a more conventional society whose values differ from those of the planet’s previous dominant race.
Why I Am Legend Changed The Story’s Villains So Much
Will Smith’s movie opted for an approach that pulled focus from the story’s sci-fi elements
There is a great deal of debate about whether Richard Matheson’sI Am Legendbook falls more into the category of science-fiction or horror. The story revolves around an enemy that would more traditionally be found in a horror story, and yet the main character’s deep dive into what makes the vampires tick gets incredibly pseudo-scientific. The easy answer is that the story blends elements of both genres very well.Will Smith’s movie includes watered-down references to the scientific explanationfor the Darkseekers' existence, but it focuses much more on the horror/thriller aspects of the source material.
I Am Legend 2 Using The Alternate Ending Is Good - But There’s 1 Problem
I Am Legend 2 will follow the original movie’s alternate ending instead of the controversial theatrical one. However, this presents a major problem.
Having vampires who were capable of speaking to Will Smith’s character would have detracted from the emotions the movie was ultimately trying to instill - which were unease and fear for Robert Neville’s survival. The Dayseekers are a much more fitting take on Matheson’s villains given the direction that the movie took, so it makes sense that they can’t talk and therefore can’t be reasoned with, nor any deeper motivations understood. With the original movie now having successfully portrayed the Dayseekers as voiceless killers, seeing them turn into something more ominous would make a great addition toI Am Legend 2.
I Am Legend 2
Cast
I Am Legend 2 is a sequel to the 2007 film that sees Will Smith reprise his role as Dr. Robert Neville. Despite the theatrical release of the original film showing Neville’s demise, the film picks up where the alternate ending left off, with Neville surviving and heading off to spread the cure.
