I Am Legend Prequel (DEAD)

[GreenScar]

Collider.com spoke to Smith and asked him about the project at the premier of Seven Pounds. Here's what he had to say:

Collider: Speaking of Robert Neville and I am Legend, there has been a lot talk about you possibly doing a prequel or sequel to that film. Could you tell us what it is and what excites you about going back to that character?

Will Smith: We have a fantastic prequel idea…we’re still trying to work through a couple of bumps in the story. It’s essentially the fall of the last city – the last stand of Manhattan. The movie would be…within the body of the movie D.C. and then Manhattan would fall as the last city. It’s a really cool idea trying to figure it out…there’s a reason why we have to take a small band and we have to get into D.C. So we have to make our way from New York to D.C. and then back to New York.

Question: Will the dog be back in it?

Will Smith: Yes, the dog will be a puppy.

I have to say…after hearing Will’s description of the movie; I think this idea could work. Imagine a big road movie with a few characters having to fight their way somewhere and then returning and having to protect the last city.

[Gamma_Winstead]

Sounds awesome.... but not as an I Am Legend prequel. Would be a cool movie otherwise though.

[_Bolt_]

I Am Legend was great, I hope this comes soon. It was sick in IMAX

[Sussudio]

funny how similar i think i am legend and hancock are. both had great trailers and when i went to see them in theaters the first halves were great, however i thought the 2nd halves of both sunk the movie. but this seems like an interesting idea. not many movies are doing the prequel approach and i think it could work for this. better than a sequel at least. what else would happen? someone who has been in a coma wakes up in some nyc hospital and realizes HE is now the last man alive in the city? maybe they could do some romance flick with the alpha male and female dark seekers. id see that.

[blu-mike]

Originally Posted by jasonbird

Collider.com spoke to Smith and asked him about the project at the premier of Seven Pounds. Here's what he had to say:

[jamclaur]

I liked IAL (other than the fake looking monsters(at some points)) I hope this one doesn't ruin it.

[pacificvibes]

Sounds like a good idea, lets just hope it would be good

[Beast]

Originally Posted by gamma626

Sounds awesome.... but not as an I Am Legend prequel. Would be a cool movie otherwise though.

Yeah. Not sure how they can wedge a prequel into I Am Legend.

Unless Will Smith is only a small cameo in the film. But it doesn't sound it.

[ixlegitballinxl]

would be cool to see the outbreak starting...thye have plenty to work with in regards to a prequel

[STARSCREAM]

I think that sounds awesome.

[quexos]

A prequel ? hey why not

[detective392]

'I Am Legend' Prequel Officially Dead

Back in 2008, Warner Bros. began work on an I Am Legend Prequel, bringing back the team of star Will Smith and director Francis Lawrence which brought in a worldwide gross of $584 million the first time around. The film would chronicle the final days of humanity in New York before a man-made virus caused a plague that left Smith’s character the lone survivor among a mutated mob in the city.

Word on the film had been non-existent until today, when an interview with Lawrence revealed that he is no longer involved and that he doesn't "think [it's] ever going to happen."

The news isn't particularly surprising, as the idea of a prequel featuring the outbreak of the virus didn't really catch many people's interest. Considering what direction the film's theatrical ending would've taken the franchise, I can understand from a financial standpoint why they would go for a prequel. This late in the game, it would be confusing to general audiences to go bill the (much better) alternate ending as a jumping off point for a sequel, plus there would be no way to intelligently incorporate Smith as the lead.

The prequel could, of course, be revisited later on by a different director / creative team but for now, consider it dead.

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/24398

[Jezza]

Originally Posted by detective392

'I Am Legend' Prequel Officially Dead

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/24398

Oh well, never mind.

I suppose some movies should just be left as a stand-a-lone.

[Orange Green Tea]

I still want a movie thats closer to the comic book. They almost did it with the Will Smith one

[Walts Ghost]

Originally Posted by Jezza

Oh well, never mind.

I suppose some movies should just be left as a stand-a-lone.

Yea, some movies are better as a one off. This is probably one of them. It's a bummer, but I'd rather they don't do it at all then destroy a good thing.

[ForEver Blu]

Originally Posted by detective392

'I Am Legend' Prequel Officially Dead

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/24398

Good, it should remain a stand alone.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by detective392

'I Am Legend' Prequel Officially Dead

Warner originally envisioned it so that:
A) they could use up all that cool comic/"motion-comic" prequel storyline (about the virus escaping in the Amazon) that they'd pre-hyped the original movie's release,
and
B) they could finally get around to using that "religious" subtext* that was supposed to appear in the original film, but was eventually cut out and reduced to one line in the final draft.

But yeah, it's been dead for a while--Nice of the press releases to let us know, as they usually just linger in urban legend for the next twenty years...

----
(* - In the original script draft, there was going to be a whole subplot about how the panicking public during the virus thought it was "God's punishment", and scientific Smith was the voice of Reason--
Warner tried to pre-hype the movie by putting up a fake-viral blog about "God Still Loves Us" graffiti all appearing across the country, and encouraging fans to copycat it for real--Problem is, after it didn't appear in the movie, nobody knew what the heck the site was about: Half the visitors thought it was a red-state Bible-belt site, the other half eventually caught on that it was a Legend site, and the site ended up reduced to a blog of fan zombie-cosplay photos at SDCC...So much for faux-intellectual action-movie subplots.)

[Wingman1977]

Originally Posted by detective392

'I Am Legend' Prequel Officially Dead

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/24398

Thank god.

[MyBlu-rayBrotherEd]

Originally Posted by detective392

'I Am Legend' Prequel Officially Dead

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/24398

Bummer. I was looking forward to another.

[frogmort]

Originally Posted by MyBlu-rayBrotherEd

Bummer. I was looking forward to another.

Yeah, this is the first I've heard of it, and I was hoping it was happening too. Will Smith has been doing a lot of "Oscar material" movies lately.