The Future of I AM LEGEND

According to the website ShockTillYouDrop, while making an appearance at the Comic-Con over the weekend Director Francis Lawrence confirmed that Warner Bros is looking to do a Prequel, NOT a sequel to last years big hit, I AM LEGEND. From my side of the fence, this really sums up the utter stupidity of the way studio executives think. It is just so obvious to me that the alternative cut of the film released on the DVD that has Will Smith’s character Robert Neville still alive at the end is a vastly superior version. It also easily sets up a sequel with enough possibilities for the studio to develop a trilogy. Of course, it’s pretty simple – a prequel, at this point, is the only way to get Will Smith’s Neville back into action, but that storyline’s already been telegraphed, with the surprise possibilities limited.

Listen, I fully understand that Smith is box office gold but unless the studio tells people to disregard the theatrical cut and go by the much better DVD alternative version (which isn’t going to happen), I want to see a sequel featuring a whole new character and NOT a prequel with Smith all over again. Hey, why not go with the female point of view the second time around, CAST a really cool actress like Jennifer Garner, and market the film as the last female on earth. To me that just seems so much smarter from a creative standpoint. It’s bad enough that the Warner Bros picked the wrong version of the film to release theatrically the first time around, now they want to go the prequel route instead of taking the story forward. For me, this goes into the category of – I just don’t get it! As much as I love the I am Legend concept (one of my all time favorite films is The Omega Man), I can’t get excited about a prequel! Note to Warner Bros – Go the sequel route and keep the material fresh.

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