Will Smith is ready to revisit one of his signature roles. The actor is attached to star in a sequel to I Am Legend, his celebrated, post-apocalyptic 2007 film, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. Michael B. Jordan is also attached to star in the feature, which will be written by original co-writer Akiva Goldsman for Warner Bros.
A sequel to I Am Legend has long been bandied about, with a version of the project discussed as far back as 2012. Deadline first reported the news of this new iteration with Jordan.
Goldsman and Mark Protosevich co-write the original, which was directed by Francis Lawrence and was praised for bringing an intimacy to the blockbuster sphere, as well as for its images of barren cityscapes. The film grossed $585 million worldwide and ended with the death of Smith’s character, a scientist attempting to find a cure for a plague that has killed most of humanity and turned survivors into monstrous creatures. It is unclear how Smith might return for the sequel.
Jordan is producing the I Am Legend sequel along with Elizabeth Raposo via their Outlier Society. Smith will produce via his Westbrook Studios with Jon Mone. Westbrook’s Ryan Shimazaki will oversee on behalf of Westbrook, while James Lassiter will executive produce. Goldsman, who produced the original I Am Legend, will also return to produce with Greg Lessans via Weed Road Pictures.
I Am Legend, based on Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel, has long been one of Smith’s proudest moments as an actor thanks to its small moments. For most of the film, he had nothing to act opposite of, save for manikins and a dog.
“I’m obsessed with trying to put small character dramas into the middle of blockbuster packages … The most successful I’ve ever been with that concept is I Am Legend,” Smith told The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg in 2015. “I Am Legend easily could’ve been a stage play, right? You know, a one-man show, a dude with a dog — you generally would think you need a little bit more than that for a blockbuster, but to date that’s my biggest opening and my second biggest film.”
Smith is in the Oscar race for his work in King Richard, recently winning a SAG Award. Jordan is preparing to star and direct Creed III.
Smith is repped by CAA. Jordan is repped by WME and Johnson Shapiro. Goldsman is repped by CAA and Hansen, Jacobson.
This story was first published by The Hollywood Reporter.
