Ever hopeful of developing the 2007 last-man-on-Earth film I Am Legend into a franchise, Warner Bros is planning on rebooting the title after failed attempts at both a sequel and prequel. But the script for this project didn’t start out as a reboot to begin with. Warner Bros had recently acquired the spec script for a movie entitled A Garden at the End of the World that was described as a sci-fi version of John Wayne’s The Searchers, but has decided to retrofit the story to carry the title of I Am Legend. Not an entirely an uncommon move by a studio, but I have to question why a reboot of such a common story needed the name recognition. The isn’t the first time the story of one man against a city of ghouls has been done as with such classics as The Last Man On Earth and The Omega Man. I get the marquee value of marketing the script that as a reboot, but it’s just seems a little strange to have another go at such a recent film mainly a vehicle for Will Smith who will not be returning.
Returning, however, will be the original producers Akiva Goldsman, James Lassiter, and Joby Harold. No director or lead actor has been chosen for the film yet so it’s too early to tell how effective this revision will be. My only expectation is that they stick closer to the source material with the alternative ending that was far superior.
Source: Deadline
