I Am Legend Gets Sequel That Will Retcon the Original Movie
Don't get too mad: it looks like this is a good thing.
After about a decade, I Am Legend will return to the big screen with a sequel that will likely change everything you thought the first movie was.
Usually, fans go up in arms after announcements like this; retcons are often risky and rarely taken lightly by the fandom. However, I Am Legend seems to be an exception, as the sequel will make the alternate ending of the 2007 film canon.
If you never knew there was one, well, it basically changed the entire story, showing that Will Smith 's character was never as much of a hero as the original ending stated. In the alternate ending, Robert Neville is actually more of a villain, and the Darkseekers are revealed to be capable of love, communication, and even mercy.
To this day, fans believe that the alternate ending should have made it into the final cut instead of the heroic death scene we got. Since the sequel basically makes the alternate ending canon, many fans are actually happy to hear about the retcon, which is a rare thing.
Before the sequel hits theaters, some fans say, the studio could re-release the original movie with the alternate ending so there is no confusion about the premise of the sequel. If not a re-release, then some kind of explanation would definitely be needed.
Producer Akiva Goldsman has already told Deadline that the sequel was inspired by the success of the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us. While it's unclear if the old characters will return, Goldsman did confirm that the events of I Am Legend 2 will take place "a few decades later than the first."
The original film was released in 2007 and grossed $585 million worldwide.