Well I've got a new source on the I AM LEGEND / Michael Bay and Will Smith rumor that I posted this weekend.

Now, let's back track just a bit. I said I had a very strong source that said that Will Smith and Michael Bay were doing I AM LEGEND... BUT I also told you that Neil Moritz had told me that there was no movement on the project and that he is the producer on the film. And I also told you that I stood by my source. I stood by them, because I had MULTIPLE SOURCES all of which were reputable.

Last night I was contacted by Michael Bay, who said that he and Will Smith want to make I AM LEGEND, but that a deal is not yet in place with Warner Brothers.

It seems that both Michael and Will feel that in the wake of 9-11 they feel that a serious mounting of Richard Matheson's I AM LEGEND is quite poignant. The film deals with the last man on earth and why wouldn't he just kill himself... Why would he go on fighting the strange beings that are the shadows of the men and women that they once were. It seems that Michael Bay wants to make a "hardcore R" rated movie. That he is tired of making PG-13 films and wants to make a meatier film. He said, "I know this sounds strange coming from me, but Will and I really want to make this a strong actor piece, very introspective and play it very real." He took a look at 4 drafts that Warner Brothers gave him, and he favors Protosevich's first draft as well. So it seems, if a film does go forward, if Warner Brothers is able to work out the Schwarzeneggar PAY or PLAY deal, so that Will can step in... Then we will be seeing Michael Bay and Will Smith doing I AM LEGEND..

Bay also said that all the one-liners and quips that had been written for Arnold will be thrown out and that, "All the Slow-Mo Shots you think I might be using are forbidden on this picture. I really want to make it gritty." Oh, and by the way to the Talk Backer that derided me about the possibility that Michael Bay was up for RED DRAGON, Michael was up for RED DRAGON, he chose not to do that film.

Michael seems to be wanting to make a change in his career that was evident in his correspondence with me. He is tired of the up-beat and happy sort of films he's made thus far and wants to get his hands dirty. This would also be his first film outside of the world of Jerry Bruckheimer. So we might very well see a different side to Michael here.

Now having said that, I must say that while I know Michael can capture the imagery and scope of a film like I AM LEGEND, I pray that he can direct a deeply textured and tortured portrait of the last man on Earth out of Will Smith... and not make him a stereotyped action god... but a real person in an impossibly terrifying situation.

I haven't seen that type of work out of Michael, but I certainly would welcome it if he can bring it to fruition. Break out the rosaries, it seems that it is in the midst.