Will Smith is continuing his hot streak of wins and hits by revisiting yet another one of his iconic projects. This time, he’s bringing on one of Hollywood’s favorite young Black leading men along for the ride.
The SAG Award-winning actor confirmed that an I Am Legend sequel is in the works, with Michael B. Jordan co-starring in a new chapter of the post-apocalyptic thriller.
While speaking with Entertainment Tonight at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Monday, Smith delved into some detail about an ominous IG post between both himself and Jordan, depicting the abandoned, overgrown streets of New York made famous by the film’s first iteration.
The Academy Award-nominated actor revealed that though he swore ten years ago that I Am Legend was one project he would likely let lie, a plot pitch Jordan made personally made him reconsider.
“The idea came up,” Smith said. “I can’t talk about it yet. But it’s a really, really cool concept and he was a part of creating the idea.”
Neither the details of Jordan’s pitch nor the final plot are yet clear, and it’s puzzling some fans since Smith’s character actually ended up passing away at the climax of the 2007 film’s theatrical version. However, an alternate ending available on YouTube finds Dr. Robert Neville surviving and leaving New York City alongside survivors Anna and Ethan.
“It was one of those ones I was gonna leave alone, and then I heard the idea,” he added, saying he thought to himself “‘But that might work. I think we can do that.’”
Smith will executive produce the film via his company Westbrook Studios, which also produced his critically acclaimed film King Richard and is currently producing the highly successful Fresh Prince reimagining Bel-Air on Peacock. Jordan will co-produce via his Outlier Society production imprint, whose projects include Creed III and the upcoming live-action adaptation of DC Comic hero story Static Shock.
This film marks the first time that Jordan and Smith will work together on a project.