Will Smith’s I Am Legend 2 Brings Back Long Dead $585M Franchise: Michael B. Jordan Playing the Villain in Sequel?
Suicide Squad’s Deadshot is set to tag along with Black Panther’s Erik Killmonger in Warner Bros’ I Am Legend 2.
Will Smith has kept a low profile ever since the Oscar controversy involving him and Chris Rock in the early summer of 2022. Later in the year, his movie Emancipation was released and failed to make any significant headlines, and since then we haven’t seen the superstar on the big screen do what he does best: act (and not what we all saw on the Oscars stage).
There have been a few interviews here and there but all signs point to 2023 ending without any Smith antics on our screens. But the King Richard star is expected to make a comeback in style in 2024.
Will Smith Set to Lead Sequel of $585M Franchise I Am Legend
A lot has been written about Will Smith‘s famous franchise Bad Boys. The fourth installment of the buddy cop action comedy film starring Smith alongside Martin Lawrence is scheduled to hit the theaters in June of 2024.
Having said that, the 54-year-old is also set to lead I Am Legend’s sequel. The 2007 sci-fi horror follows the story of Robert Neville, who’s the last human survivor of a plague in New York. The scientist tries to reverse the effects of a virus by using his own immune blood. In the end, he sacrifices himself to save humanity. The movie was one of the biggest hits of the year, grossing $585 million at the box office.
There were question marks on Smith’s return in the sequel as the theatrical cut of the movie suggests his character dies. However, the makers are set to follow the alternate ending for I Am Legend. Accordingly, the Hancock actor will reprise the role of Dr. Neville.
The movie is adapted from Richard Matheson’s novel I Am Legend. According to filmmaker Akiva Goldsman, I Am Legend 2 will aim to steer closer to the path Matheson’s book took.
What Will Be Michael B. Jordan’s Role in I Am Legend 2?
The plot, which is likely to explore the idea of man’s time on the planet as the dominant species coming to an end, will also feature Michael B. Jordan. However, whether Jordan will join hands with Smith’s character in the apocalyptic fight or make things difficult for him is yet to be made official.
Since Goldsman aims to follow the book more closely, it’s highly likely that the Creed star will be a vampire-like creature Darkseeker as every other human apart from Dr. Neville is infected in the premise of Matheson’s novel.
In the alternate ending, Dr. Neville discovers these creatures are capable of making human-like connections. This idea opens plenty of doors for the writers to create a much more complex role for Jordan.
Moreover, Smith’s interview with ET in 2022 had already suggested the Black Panther villain’s role is going to be central to the plot because that was the big reason behind the Oscar-winning actor’s decision to return in the sequel.
Source: USA Today
