I Am Legend 2 is going ahead at Warner Bros., following on from the original movie’s alternate ending, which presents an issue for the sequel. Starring Will Smith, I Am Legend follows Dr. Robert Neville as he navigates a post-apocalyptic New York, accompanied only by his loyal German Shepherd: Samantha. Neville, a former virologist, attempts to concoct a cure for the vampiric plague that ended the world and turned the vast majority of humans into mutants called Darkseekers, who hunt him when night falls. I Am Legend was an incredible financial success when it was released in theaters in 2007, grossing over half a billion dollars.
However, the film received considerable criticism for the liberties it took when adapting Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel of the same name. Much of this ire focused on I Am Legend‘s theatrical ending, which completely diverged from the book’s. However, when I Am Legend was released on DVD in 2008, the theatrical cut of the movie was accompanied by an alternate ending, that was far better received and stuck much closer to Matheson’s text and thematic ideas. I Am Legend 2 jumping off from the original film’s alternate ending is a great choice, but it does present a problem: it was seen by far fewer people.
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I Am Legend 2 Using The Alternate Ending Is Necessary For Will Smiths Return
Will Smith has been confirmed as returning for I Am Legend 2, starring alongside series newcomer Michael B. Jordan (Creed III). However, in order for him to return as Dr. Neville, it is necessary for the sequel to follow I Am Legend‘s alternate ending. I Am Legend‘s controversial theatrical ending sees Neville confronted in his basement laboratory by a horde of Darkseekers, hoping to save the female Darkseeker that the doctor is holding captive in order to create a cure. The Darkseekers attack Neville, but he sacrifices himself by blowing up his laboratory, having already given the Darkseeker cure to fellow humans Anna (Alice Braga) and Ethan (Charlie Tahan).
However, I Am Legend‘s alternate ending sticks much closer to Richard Matheson’s novel by having Neville survive. The novel ends with Neville realizing that the undead vampires are simply the next evolutionary step, and wish to kill him simply because he has killed so many of them. He finally recognizes that he is a terrifying legendary figure to the vampires, just as they once were to humans. I Am Legend‘s alternate ending follows this much more closely, with Neville finally understanding that the Darkseekers are not monsters, and simply want to save the Darkseeker that he is holding against her will.
Instead of blowing everyone up, Neville apologizes for his horrifying actions and allows the Darkseekers to take the female Darkseeker away. Neville then accompanies Anna and Ethan to Vermont, in hope of finding a surviving human colony. Thus, with Will Smith’s character only surviving in I Am Legend‘s alternate ending, it is necessary for I Am Legend 2 to pick up where that specific cut of the original movie leaves off.
I Am Legend’s Alternate Ending Was Better Than The Original
Not only is I Am Legend‘s alternate ending necessary for Will Smith’s return in I Am Legend 2, but it is also the far better ending. Neville’s survival is necessary for the themes of Richard Matheson’s original novel to properly land. In the book, Neville views his violent methods with the vampires as necessary for his survival. However, when he is (ironically) confronted with their humanity, he realizes that he has turned into the true monster. Neville sacrificing his life to allow Anna and Ethan to escape the Darkseekers in I Am Legend‘s theatrical cut completely misses the point of the ending of Matheson’s novel.
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Speaking with Deadline, Akiva Goldsman, the co-writer of I Am Legend and the producer/writer of I Am Legend 2, has come to realize that the original movie’s alternate ending was better than the original. Goldsman detailed that I Am Legend 2 is set several decades after the original and will explore the world long after “man’s time as the dominant species” has ended. He also stated that he has been heavily inspired by HBO’s post-apocalyptic video-game adaptation The Last of Us for the world of I Am Legend 2.
I Am Legend 2 Using The Alternate Ending Risks Confusing Audiences
However, there is one issue with I Am Legend 2 following on from the original movie’s alternate ending. I Am Legend‘s alternate ending was only available to watch on home media, meaning that far fewer people saw it compared to the theatrical. While I Am Legend was a massive box-office hit when it was released in theaters, Warner Bros. was reportedly “disappointed” by its DVD sales.
This means that I Am Legend 2‘s major ending retcon risks confusing audiences who saw Will Smith die at the end of the original I Am Legend unless the movie finds a way to explain it well. One way of achieving this is by opening I Am Legend 2 with the original movie’s alternate ending as a way to prepare audiences. Despite this potential to confuse audiences, I Am Legend 2 following I Am Legend‘s alternate ending is a far better idea than using the theatrical one.
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