Will Smith Returning For 'I Am Legend' Sequel

Will Smith has been on a roll of late. After working as lead actor and producer on King Richard, a biography about the father of Venus and Serena Williams, he's picked up a whole bunch of Oscar nominations including Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor, and the big one, Best Picture.

Now, according to Deadline, a sequel to the Smith-starring 2007 thriller I Am Legend film is in the works - and what's more, it's set to introduce a new character played by Black Panther's Michael B. Jordan alongside the returning Smith. Apparently the duo will also be producing the film, in what would be their first ever joint project.

If you want to see Will Smith in action in the original I Am Legend, you can take a peek at the trailer below.

While there is no director tied to the project as of yet, the pair has hired the co-screenwriter of the original I Am Legend to create a new script. Akiva Goldsman is a well-respected screenwriter in Hollywood and won an Oscar for the 2001 adaptation of the novel A Beautiful Mind. The screenplay for the original I Am Legend was also adapted from a 1954 novel of the same name, written by the late Richard Matheson, and the 2007 adaptation followed two prior movies based on the book: 1964's The Last Man on Earth and 1971's The Omega Man.

Not much is known about the new story yet, but it will be interesting to see which ending to the 2007 movie it follows. Spoilers (come on, the movie is 15 years old), but the original ending showed the apparent sacrifice of Smith's character, but the ending on the later-released special edition leads to his character, Dr Robert Neville, better understanding of the world's zombie-like inhabitants. With Smith starring in the new film, it will either have to be a prequel or follow the path of the alternate ending. However, a prequel was previously discussed after the first movie's release, only to be scrapped in 2011.

With the original I Am Legend reportedly making almost $600 million at the box office in revenue, and two huge stars attached, the sequel is likely to do big numbers whatever tale it decides to tell.

Topics: TV And Film