While we are due some news soon, don't worry, horror fans, because I Am Legend 2 is still very much in the works, and there is actually a surprising amount of information to unpack.
If you need a quick refresher on one of the best zombie movies of all time (it was released almost 20 years ago, to be fair), I Am Legend starred Will Smith as the survivalist and researcher Dr Robert Neville, who found himself as the (apparently) sole survivor of an apocalyptic virus in New York City, working tirelessly for a cure. While the original movie ended in a pretty definitive way, Smith will return for the upcoming horror movie, and he'll be joined by Sinners and Black Panther star Michael B. Jordan.
Obviously, there is a lot to explain here, given the fact that Neville died in the first movie. However, we've gathered all the latest news and explanations that you need to know down below. So keep scrolling to find out exactly what is happening with I Am Legend 2.
Is there an I Am Legend 2 release date yet?
Sorry, folks. Currently, no firm release date for I Am Legend 2 has been announced; however, we do know that it is still on the way!
I Am Legend 2 was announced back in March 2022 after being teased for several years. Just like the original movie, Warner Bros. is behind the sequel. However, the film is still in the very early pre-production phase, and the script is still unfinished.
With filming not even started yet, it is hard to predict when the sequel will hit screens. However, when cameras roll, an exact date may be closer in sight – so keep an eye on this page for news on that.
Who is in the I Am Legend 2 cast list?
Will Smith is reprising his role, Dr. Robert Neville, from the 2007 movie. Although the scientist seemingly died at the end of the last film, the team is deciding to use the film’s alternate ending where he survives.
We also know that Sinners star Michael B. Jordan will star alongside Smith. However, it has still not been confirmed exactly who Jordan will be playing, but what we do know is that Smith and Jordan will not portray a father-son duo. In an interview with the Drink Champs podcast, Smith said, "Michael B. Jordan’s character currently is the head of a new settlement... He's not my son."
As for other returning cast members, Alice Braga, who plays fellow survivor and Neville's companion of sorts, Anna, has shared her interest in joining the project. The star told Collider that she was "super surprised" to hear a sequel was in the works, adding, "I was almost jumping on the phone and saying, 'Can I please be in it?'" Braga's casting is yet to be confirmed.
That's all we know about the I Am Legend 2 cast so far. The cast list is currently as follows:
- Will Smith as Dr. Robert Neville
- Michael B. Jordan – as an unnamed settlement head
What could the I Am Legend 2 plot cover?
So, because Will Smith's hero Dr. Robert Neville died in the first movie, you may be wondering just how the star is returning for the sequel, which is set to take place decades after the original 2007 movie.
Well, I Am Legend screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, who is returning to pen the sequel's suggested script, suggested making a follow-up to the first movie's alternate ending.
In the original ending, Neville’s research in a bid to find a cure proves futile and his laboratory is infiltrated by the zombies. In order to protect his new friend Anna and her child, Neville sacrifices himself. After, Anna takes his cure to a nearby research facility. However, when the movie was released digitally, it included an alternate ending.
The alternate final scene sees Neville face up to the lead zombie called Alpha. But rather than killing him, Alpha instead takes back the female zombie that Neville was conducting his research on. The zombies then turn around and leave, making Neville wonder if he is really the monster. Finally, Neville abandons his lab and travels with Anna and her son Ethan in search of other survivors.
With the sequel following on from the alternate ending, that means Neville was alive and well the last time we saw him. However, with the scientist realizing that the zombies can feel some kind of emotion and empathy, leading them to raid Neville's facility to save one of their own, we wonder how that might affect Neville's view of the creatures in the new movie.
Warner Bros. is yet to release an official synopsis of the sequel. However, back in 2023, writer Akiva Goldsman revealed to Deadline that I Am Legend 2 will "start a few decades later than the first." As for the setting, in the same interview, the writer confirmed that the second installment will take place in New York City, USA, just as the first movie did. "I don't know if [the Darkseekers will] climb up to the Empire State Building, but the possibilities are endless."
However, there will be some movement in the movie as Smith may have let slip that the film will partly take place in Connecticut too, as that is where Michael B Jordan’s character’s settlement is located.
Is there an I Am Legend 2 trailer yet?
With the movie still in the early developmental phase, we cannot guess when filming will start. This means that a trailer is well out of sight, for now.
For more, check out our list of the best horror movies, or our guide to all the upcoming movies heading our way.
