‘I Am Legend’ To Continue As A Reboot, Without Uninterested Star Will Smith

It looks like the powers that be really wanted an I Am Legend sequel. We’ve been hearing about the possibility of a sequel and a prequel for years, but the production couldn’t get star Will Smith on board. With that said, it only gave the studio one option, and that’s to produce a reboot of I Am Legend without Smith.

It’s no surprise why they were interested in a sequel with Will Smith. The original post-apocalyptic film grossed $584 million worldwide, which is huge for a blockbuster. Now that films like World War Z and shows like TV’s The Walking Dead are getting people interested in this genre again, we’re sure those behind I Am Legend could only hold out for so long before they had to strike while the iron is hot.

According to Deadline, Warner Bros is starting a reboot on the film from a script called “A Garden at the End of the World,” which is not a mirrored script of I Am Legend, but it will deal with the same themes and the post-apocalyptic setting.

Two years ago was the last time we heard some big news about I Am Legend. Screen Rant reported that the Men in Black 3 star “probably wouldn’t” appear in the sequel, when there was still talk about the film’s franchise potential.

At the time, Smith told BBC, “Producers are working on [‘I Am Legend 2’]. I’m not actually working on it. If it’s great, I’m into it. [But] I don’t want to be the sequel guy. I figure I’ve got about six or seven more years where I can run and jump a little bit and then I’m going butt and gut for the rest of my career. Butt and gut.”

The most recently rumored project circling Smith was a third installment of Bad Boys 3 with Martin Lawrence. That is at least a franchise he seems interested in returning to. As for I Am Legend, the reboot? The jury is still out on who will helm and star in the film, but if one thing is for certain, it’s that they need to be a huge star who owns the box office if Warner Bros. is expecting to have this second outing just as successful, if not even more profitable.

Who do you think would be good for the I Am Legend reboot? Odds are it won’t be Brad Pitt, considering he has a sequel with his own franchise in World War Z.

[Image via Warner Bros.]