When I Am Legend was released in theaters it brought in $584 million dollars worldwide which meant that they were probably going to be re-visiting the movie in the near future. In 2008 director Francis Lawrence discussed his plans for a possible prequel with himself at the helm and Will Smith returning to star. It would take place before the virus broke out and show the final days of New York City. MTV was able to get an exclusive interview with director Francis Lawrence who says that the prequel is “off the table” and that he doesn’t think it is ever going to happen.
A lot of people were wondering how another film would be received due to the two major endings that I Am Legend had. If they ended up making a prequel that did well and they wanted to make a third film that takes place after I Am Legend, then they would have to go with the alternate ending, in order to keep Will Smith attached. This would probably have cause tons of confusion for those who only saw the theatrical cut.
I personally am happy that this project is dead. I was a huge fan of the novel and I was pissed at how they butchered it to pieces. They took out so many aspects that made the book an instant classic and I would rather them either stop all together or just give it over to someone else, who can hopefully make a more faithful adaption.