Will Smith and Michael B. Jordan will join forces to co-star in and produce an I Am Legend sequel for Warner Bros., per Deadline. Smith is returning to the franchise after leading the original 2007 film. How Smith and Jordan will fit into a new narrative, and where on the timeline it will take place, is unclear, as plot details are being kept secret.
I Am Legend had more than Smith’s face and name going for it upon its release. Its story is based on Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel of the same name, and the movie adaptation was written by I, Robot writer Akiva Goldsman. The story takes place after a disease brings the end of the world, leaving Smith’s Robert Neville alone, looking for survivors. Goldsman is already tapped to return to write the sequel, though the I Am Legend sequel does not yet have a director.
Joining on the producing side are Michael B. Jordan and Elizabeth Raposo’s moviemaking outfit, Outlier Society, which will work alongside Goldsman and Greg Lessans’ Weed Road Pictures. Westbrook Studios’ co-president and head of motion pictures, Jon Mone, is also producing, with Ryan Shimazaki serving as overseer for the company. James Lassiter is also attached to aid as executive producer.
Despite its changes to the source material, Will Smith’s I Am Legend brought in a cool $585 million at the global box office. Although an alternate ending painted a much more hopeful picture for the movie’s characters, the theatrical cut came to an end when Smith’s character sacrificed himself. While an I Am Legend sequel certainly presents an opportunity to right the wrongs of the past, how Smith will return is a mystery.
