The news that I Am Legend 2 will retcon I Am Legend’s divisive ending is great for Will Smith’s return to the post-apocalyptic sci-fi franchise. I Am Legends ending is one of the more controversial book changes in the history of cinematic adaptations. Based on the Richard Matheson novel of the same name 2007’s I Am Legend begins as a relatively faithful retelling of the book’s story. Both the novel and its movie adaptation focus on Dr. Robert Neville a lone survivor who stalks through an abandoned city years after a mysterious disease turned the human population into vampiric monsters dubbed Darkseekers.
However I Am Legend's adaptation diverges radically from the novel in its closing act. The ending of I Am Legend’s movie adaptation which I Am Legend 2 will retcon sees Neville sacrifice himself by blowing up a building filled with Darkseekers all so a fellow human survivor can take an experimental cure for the disease to a secret human commune. The novel in contrast ends with Neville learning that he is a mythical monster among the Darkseekers who are not the thoughtless killing machines that he envisioned but rather thinking feeling beings. Neville’s discovery gives the novel its title as he realizes he is a terrifying legend to creatures who live in fear of him.
I Am Legend 2's Timeline Can Give Will Smith A Very Different Role
The news that I Am Legend 2 is happening and will star Smith necessitated a retcon of I Am Legend’s explosive much-criticized ending. Although the Will Smith Oscars slap hurt I Am Legend 2 the sequel remains in production and according to I Am Legend 2 producer Akiva Goldsman the movie will trace back to the original Matheson book and the alternate ending as opposed to the released ending in the original film. This means that Smith can take on a different role as an older survivor, and the sequel can be a totally different beast from its predecessor thanks to its fidelity to the novel’s original ending.
I Am Legend 2 using the alternate ending of I Am Legend is more interesting for Smith's character as it allows viewers to see a new side of Neville. In the original movie version of I Am Legend Neville is a gruff survivalist who somewhat struggles with isolation but is ultimately a morally uncomplicated hero. However the Darkseekers in I Am Legend 2 will likely be recognizably sentient creatures with social structures family bonds and near human intelligence previous slaughter of their kind with what he now knows about them.
I Am Legend 2's Timeline Smartly Distances It From The Original Movie
While Goldsman does not specify exactly how far into the future I Am Legend 2 is set he does imply that a lot of time will pass between the two movies. Per Goldsman the sequel’s action will start a few decades later than the first confirming that it has been a long time since Neville was the Darkseeker killing antihero of the original movie. This will allow I Am Legend 2 to distance itself from the original movie where gung ho killings completely misread the meaning of the I Am Legend title by cutting Neville’s allimportant realization from the story’s ending.
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