I Am Legend 2 Will Happen Without Will Smith
In a bit of good movie news today we learn that Will Smith will likely not be returning for the I Am Legend sequel currently brewing over at Warner Bros. Normally we wouldn’t say that a film’s star opting to not return for the sequel is good news, but in this case it will likely mean we won’t have to see another I Am Legend.
According to a brief interview with Smith on EurWeb, he doesn’t want to be “that sequel guy” so he’s steering clear of anything with a number after the title. Men in Black 3 having just been released will signify the last sequel he’ll willingly appear in, though he does mention that if there is enough support for a Men in Black 4 he will entertain the idea of a return. But don’t expect Bad Boys 3 or Hancock 2… Ever.
Not only is this a good move for Smith, but it’s also good for us since the source novel for I Am Legend has no sequel. That’s not to say that WB, who is busy developing that movie without Smith, will completely disregard their sequel, but it won’t get as much play without Smith’s name and we likely won’t be forced to watch a bunch of crap that Hollywood suits made up to try to squeeze some extra money out of a franchise.
I Am Legend was far from a bad movie, but it deviated pretty drastically from the Richard Matheson novel and any true fans of that original story would hopefully prefer to see the bastardized movie franchise be left for dead. Will WB make some money off a sequel? Maybe if the put another big name in there, but it sure as hell isn’t going to make any of us care any more.
