Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. I kind of hate 2007's I Am Legend. It's not that Will Smith sucked in the movie or the tone wasn't right, it's that they had half of a perfect movie and then fed me a shit sandwich for the second half.
It wasn't just the shitty CG (I've heard stories on how they originally were make-ups that weren't working, so instead of improving the make-ups they just threw everything out the window and did last minute CG work instead), but if the main threat of the film weren't cartoons chasing Will Smith around I think the rest of the payoffs that don't work (including the bullshit ending) wouldn't have hurt the film as much.
The original ending they shot was actually pretty great, relying on emotion instead of explosions, and would have done a lot towards me walking away at least a little happier. And it would have also explained how the hell Will Smith is expected to return to for the sequel.
Deadline says Akiva Goldsman has finalized a deal with Warner Bros for the sequel and they expect it to include Smith. Smith says he won't commit until there's a script, so we could see some tears from Warners if the script doesn't deliver and their A-lister turns it down.
Thankfully Goldman isn't writing it, an up and comer named Arash Amel is. His Grace Kelly script, Grace of Monaco, is being prepped by La vie en rose's Olivier Dahan and grabbed the attention of Hollywood.
I'm not sure I trust the producing team on this one, but they showed they knew what kind of film it was supposed to be with the first act of I Am Legend, so there is that, I guess. Let's just hope they stick by their guns this time and follow through a little bit better.
Thoughts?
-Eric Vespe
”Quint”
quint@aintitcool.com
Follow Me On Twitter
