Will Smith’s upcoming movie,I Am Legend 2, will break the actor’s unwritten rule when it comes to sequels and it makes it all the more exciting. Based on Robert Matheson’s novel,I Am Legendcenters on Dr. Robert Nevulle’s search for a cure after the human race is infected by a zombie virus. AlthoughI Am Legendhad a controversial ending, the movie mostly garnered positive reviews from both critics and audiences. Seventeen years afterI Am Legendwas released, the highly anticipatedI Am Legend 2with Michael B. Jordan in the castwill finally be coming to the big screen.
AlthoughWill Smith is mostly known for his action movies, the actor has also appeared in several sci-fi movies includingMen in Black,Bright, andAfter Earth. Throughout his illustrious acting career, it seems that Smith has an unwritten rule when it comes to making sequels, especially with his sci-fi movies. While Smith hasn’t done a lot of sequels, the ones that he has done haven’t impressed audiences and critics.
I Am Legend 2 Is A Rare Sequel In Will Smith’s Career
Bright Was Supposed To Have A Sequel
Will Smith began his film career in 1992 withWhere the Day Takes Youandcurrentlyhas 37 movies in his filmography,but only two have sequels. In 1997, Smith starred in the sci-fiMen in Black, the first of Smith’s movies to get a sequel. Five years afterMen in Blackpremiered, the second installment in the franchise,Men in Black II, was released. Smith reprised his role as Agent J for the third and possibly final time inMen in Black 3.
I Am Legend 2’s Success Would Mean The Will Smith Sequel I Really Want Can Finally Happen
I’m eager to see whether I Am Legend 2 is a hit since it would mean the Will Smith sequel movie I actually want is more likely to finally happen.
Bad Boysis another Will Smith movie that had a sequel. The firstBad Boysmovie was released in 2003 and was followed by two movies in the franchise,Bad Boys IIandBad Boys for Life.BadBoys Ride or Dieis the latest installment in the franchise. However, mostsequels Will Smith has not returned for, such asIndependence Day: Resurgence,Men in Black:International, andThe Suicide Squad. Likewise, his 2017 action fantasy movie,Bright, was supposed to have a sequel with Smith reprising his role as Daryl Ward,but Netflix canceled the movie after the actor’s 2022 Academy Awards scandal(viaWhat’s on Netflix). Thus,IAm Legendwill be only the third Will Smith movie to get a sequel.
Why Will Smith Doesn’t Do A Lot Of Sequels
Most Of Will Smith’s Movies Do Not Need Sequels
There are reasonable explanations why Will Smith has had very few sequels in his long career. Most of the movies that Smith has done aren’t necessarily IP-based,but standalone movies with a clear beginning, middle, and end, so they don’t need a sequel. If Smith had begun his career a decade or two later, he would likely have had more sequels to his name; at the time Smith was rising to stardom, cinematic universes weren’t as common as they are now.
The fact that theMen in Blacksequels did not perform as well as the first movie, which became a cultural phenomenon, might have also contributed to the actor’s apprehension when it came to making sequels. Will Smith is also one of the biggest actors in the world,so he has the privilege of choosing which projects he wants to do. For instance, theMen in Blackactor did not return forIndependenceDay: Resurgence. Although Smith was open to reprising his role in the movie, he felt thatSuicide Squadwas a better career choice at the time (viaThe Economic Times).
What To Expect From Will Smith’s I Am Legend 2
I Am Legend 2 Will Follow The I Am Legend Alternate Ending
I Am Legend 2will attempt to correct one of the most divisive things aboutI Am Legend. At the end ofI Am Legend, Dr. Robert Neville dies by suicide to save the cure. The ending of the first film significantly deviated from Matheson’s book and was so controversial with fans of the author’s work who preferred his version of the story. Given that Dr. Neville dies at the end ofI Am Legend,the question of how Smith will reprise his role was raised.
I Am Legend 2is going to stick to the source material and follow the first movie’s alternate ending.
In the alternate ending of IAm Legend, Dr. Neville takes the cure and leaves Manhattan.I Am Legend 2is going to stick to the source material and follow the first movie’s alternate ending. The second installment ofI Am Legendwill center around what Dr. Neville did after taking the cure and realizing that the infected considered him a monster for experimenting on one of their own.I Am Legend 2is still in pre-production and there hasn’t been an official announcement for the movie’s release date.
I Am Legend 2
Cast
I Am Legend 2 is a sequel to the 2007 film that sees Will Smith reprise his role as Dr. Robert Neville. Despite the theatrical release of the original film showing Neville’s demise, the film picks up where the alternate ending left off, with Neville surviving and heading off to spread the cure.
