I Am Legend
Summary
I Am Legenddirector Francis Lawrence reveals that he regrets not using the ending from the original novel . resign in 2007 , the post - revelatory thriller stars Will Smith as Robert Neville , the last human subsister in New York City following a pestilence that turns much of the world ’s population into vampire - alike creature he calls " Darkseekers " . The movie , which is found on a 1954 novel by Richard Matheson , had an infamously factious conclusion , andI Am Legend ’s alternate endinghas wide been embraced as ranking .
The end in the book is different from both the original theatrical ending and the alternate conclusion , although the latter is closer to Matheson ’s seed textile thematically talk . Check out Lawrence ’s full comment below :
“ I favour the original ending to the two that we have . But the trueness is now I would ’ve built it do be able-bodied to do the ending from the novelette , truly just do that report . But with the money being spent , everybody was unquiet about doing something so nihilistic . But looking back I feel like everybody give out to see The Last Isle of Man on Earth and enjoyed it for that reason and would ’ve still enjoyed [ I Am Legend ] with the nihilistic finish . ”
I Am Legend’s Three Endings Explained
In the theatrical cut , Neville finds himself cornered in an enwrap part of his basement science laboratory with a female lamia test matter . In an cause to give fellow survivors Anna ( Alice Braga ) and Ethan ( Charlie Tahan ) time to get out , Neville sacrifices himself , using a mitt grenade to blow up a drove of Darkseekers , which admit their leader . This ending , however , was widely pick apart for missing the total level of the novel .
The alternate ending come in much closer to the germ cloth , and is being treated as cannon for the announcedI Am Legend 2 . Neville amount to sympathise that the lead Darkseeker is only essay to rescue his distaff fellow and , instead of sacrifice himself , he afford the doorway to his glass envelopment and return her . This ending sees Neville realize that the Darkseekers are subject of complex human emotion and communication and , due his past experiments on them , he is the substantial monster in their eyes .
SinceI Am Legend ’s alternating ending is canyon for the sequel , Will Smith ’s Robert Neville will be returning to star opposite a Modern character play by Michael B. Jordan .
This alternate termination finally was n’t a hit with test audiences , who resisted the implication that Smith ’s reference was actually a villain . The alternate ending is closer to theI Am Legendnovel , however , which features Neville do to a similar realization about the vampires in his dying instant . He hear the fear in their eyes due to his constant kidnapping and experimentation on them , and his last intelligence are " I am fable , " suggest that , in death , he screw he will be mythologized as a monster for this fresh airstream of beings .
Source : Josh Horowitz/ YouTube
