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Will Smith pushes back Heston and Price and screams, 'I AM LEGEND!'
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. First of all, I have to fess up. I haven't ever read Richard Matheson's original I AM LEGEND novel. I have the book sitting right here in front of me, but I'm saving it for my international travel next month (looks like I'll have two different jaunts across two different oceans) along with Ray Bradbury's MARTIAN CHRONICLES and a new Max Allan Collins detective story from Hard Case Crime.
However, I am a fan of OMEGA MAN and LAST MAN ON EARTH, which are both based on Matheson's story. I also really like Will Smith. He's got charisma and some real deal talent (look at ALI if you don't believe me), but I really don't feel him in this role. The project was thought dead, but it seems Warners has resurrected the film with Smith still in the lead. I don't have a good feeling about it. Hopefully Smith, Warner Bros and CONSTANTINE director Francis Lawrence will prove my fears unfounded. I can't wait to dive into the classic novel myself. What do you folks think?
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its in the book...read it
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Chuck Heston pwns the role.
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Fuck this shit.
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So Will Smith being a part of fucking up Asimov's brilliant legacy wasn't enough? Christ, even Bicentennial Man was a better representation of Asimovian robots than that piece of shit I,Robot movie.
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Shit. Not to be all precious, but this book has never been adapted properly. I used to like Smith fine, when I was a kid. The problem is he's never grown out of his early wise-cracking persona into a real, mature leading man. I would love for him t prove me wrong, as physically he's not a bad choice for the part. I guess the real question is who is writing it. Please say it isn't the Logan or Pestrowothisface script. They were bad. I always wanted Fincher for this, but oh well...
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Then I expect this movie to be royally fucked up by Smith with numerous product placements, innappropriate humour, and a deviation from the source material. Fuck Smith off this movie.
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As much as I like Will Smith, this isn't an example of wise casting.
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Then I would see it regardless of casting.
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Man i used to think he was a very good actor (for a rapper) but after that piece of shit independence day, and other autrocities like wild wild west,bad boys 2 and that unlce tom role in badger vance, i lost whatever respect i had for this guy, he's now another hack actor.
and a hack rapper.."gettin jiggy with it"? what the fuck is that shit? not to mention he did a cover of the clash's rock the casbah..(Joe Strummer must be turning in his grave!)now he's doing a classic charlton heston role (which was very underatted for that time.)even with alztheimers ii can imagigine heston saying to the producers..
"damn you all,damn you all to hell..." -
the protosevich script is fantastic, and the book itself is obviously brilliant. i think this could be a damn good movie, that script that actor and that director... itll totally work.
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as for Ali, the only reason Will Smith didn't play himself was because of the responsibility of playing a legondary black icon. Nothing the man has done before or since that film has demonstrated he has any interested in being a serious actor.
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Or let him contribute to the script.
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In short: He fucks up the loneliness by giving Neville a series of dogs. He turns the vampires (both stages) into silly mutant aboringinies. Neville is not the last human. He has Neville wearing a Kevlar body suit instead of being immune. He has Neville escape, only to have an 80's action hero moment on the Golden Gate bridge.SPOILER Neville rescues the farm of junky humans and they all go off to live happily ever after. Not only does the script miss every major point of the book in terms of theme and meaning, it misses the point of the TITLE!
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He's a likeable personality. In *everything*. And that's the problem. He makes whatever he does lightweight to a degree just by his very presence and personality, and not only has he never changed that approach, he's never shown any real desire to do anything different other than play minor variations on 'likeable Will Smith', let alone prove that he can pony up something far away from that stock standard performance. And that's the exact opposite of what I Am Legend needs. The 'last man on earth' isn't happy-go-lucky, he's tortured, lonely and borderline crazy. And I just can't see Will Smith bringing that, or any of the darkness or edge required, not because he's unable, because I do think he can act when prodded to do so, but because he seems to have no desire to push himself into that kind of direction with any role he takes on. And that's why he's just all wrong for this role, unless of course he's actually going to prove us wrong and show us different and deliver something a lot edgier and darker than his usual happy-go-lucky Will Smith schtick. On the upside I believe that Francis Lawrence is a fine choice for director, but Smith as lead, it just feels all wrong and to me bodes ill for the whole thing. We shall see.
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I mean, it should be a hit. But it doesn't require massive budget, superstar treatment. The story is ultimately about mortality, isolation and the human condition. And, y'know, lots and lots of vampires. The big budget will force them to remove the edginess from the story (Big dude marching into suburban homes and decapitating housewives and children, believing himself morally safe in the knowledge that they are all undead)and no doubt require huge action beats as opposed to scenes of desperate tension.
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If the script is really how you describe then Baby Jesus is going to cry.
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stick with the book. Failing that, if you just can't read anything without pictures, then grab the graphic novel adaptation by Steve Niles (He of 30 Days of Night) which is the book word-for-word. I wouldn't care if they just didn't use 'I Am Legend' fr the title but like 'I, Robot' it'll be nothing like the source material but the fans won't know that until they pop
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Please TELF, I really hope you are joking. The book is brilliant but it is is brilliant because of the way it ends. When the hero looks down at at all those mutants looking up at him with fear in their eyes precisely because he is the last normal human and he says 'I am legend' I really felt a shiver go down my spine. This is the whole point of the book. How what is once normal can find itself abnormal. He spends the whole book trying to kill mutants only to find that in the end that it is he who is the 'mutant' now and as such passes into legend. Can you really see Will Smith agreeing to be in a movie with such a down beat ending. Without the ending it is just another piss-poor Hollywood production line film.
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Hollywood: Quit giving Will Smith high profile movies to ruin.
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Folks, there is no reason Smith can't play this role the way it needs to be played. He is not Enemy of the State or ID4 all the time and clearly had the talent to play the role. I think we'd be surprised how well he can handle it. Are there actors we'd prefer instead? Sure, there always is. If he has the right script and a director with control, Smith should nail it. And let's not kid ourselves...he's the box office draw, not the story. Which is unfortunate, but hey, I think he can work.
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I am far from an authority on this. I read the earlier Logan script (Which I think was done for Ridley Scott), a while ago. It wasn't very good either. It basically retooled it all as an action thriller (one sequence had Neville and Cortman wrestling in a bowling alley). I was turned on to the Protosevich by Harry referring to it years ago as "one of the best unproduced action screenplays" he'd ever read. The problem is that he is kind of right. It's pretty great action script. But it ain't I Am Legend. However, there is no confirmation that they will be using either screenplay. A new director often means a new screenplay. However, Lawrence's adaptation of Hellblazer wasn't very loyal, was it?
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just don't call it I Am Legend. Call it the Omega Man remake but this self-respecting fanboy believes if you call something 'I Am Legend' it has to be the book.
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The story has two good movie versions already, so it isn't critical they they get it right.
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Is a novella really. It's under 200 pages I think. No excuse not to read it really. I agree RealDoubleJ, the graphic novel version is really pretty good too. SPOILER. Pammybabe, I agree. Also, the biggest jolt of horror to me was always when I realised the ramifications of what Neville had been doing. In the book there is a wonderfully described and explored 2-stage nature to vampirism: "Living" Vanpire (kind of Anne Ricey), and undead/reanimated corpse (Sorta Zombie/Nosferatu acting/looking)Because Neville doesn't differentiate between them, he ends up killing untold numbers of Vamps that could have gone on to regain some semblance of a life. The way he becomes a monster to them, a boogie-man, a Legend; is so sophisticated and brilliant. If handled correctly I think it could be one of THE great down endings of cinema.
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Totally agree with your last post. Every incarnation has been fun (including all the clearly Matheson Romero Zombie films), but they had the sense to call it something else. Make it into an action flick, cast Will Smith, give it a happy ending. Just don't give it a title that will be rendered nonsensical by the new plot's resolution. Of course, maybe they are getting a new, more loyal draft. I hope so. My critiques have been based not on what I assume they are going to do, but merely on the 2 long attached screenplays. I'd love it if they changed a couple of names and elements and made the Protosevich script as a tits-out shit-nuts hard R survival horror movie, called The Last Man (..or, y'know, something...), "Inspired" by I Am Legend. But yeah, just leave room for someone, some day, to do something a bit more faithful.
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No. Smith is charismatic...but when will he learn that he doesn't fit the bill of tough guy, action hero. It's just not in his make-up. You know, there are probably a few exceptions out there where he could take a role as a wise-cracking smart guy. Taking an original character and making it his own. But I object to taking a beloved character from of a popular novel and twisting it into Will Smith for studio sake. Bad move.
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Hey at least you'll get a cool soundtrack. I can just imagine it now...the amazingly clever and original use of an eighties pop tune for the chorus.. yeah and the lyrics "Word up.. I am Liky Liky Legend, Vampires beware cause the Willster is here!! Huuh!" Will all bare chested dancing around girls dressed as vampires, soo coool!!1
WOW now you see, with his amazing character acting abilities too, he is the Hollywood equivilent of Lex Luger: the total package. -
Apparently. Well at least they are going in a different way. However, the same article (RT) that broke that news also described the plot being about the last man in NY (not San Fran, but big deal) to survive the release of a virus and having to battle "Mutants". Hopefully this isn't the case. Every other adaptation has always dropped the 2-stage vampirism in favor of a simpler zombie/mutant-ish take, which is a shame. I think Akiva is pretty overrated, and Ron Howard's pet scribe would not be my go-to guy for apocalyptic horror; but I do think this is generally good news. The thing is, if you add up all the money spent on these expensive writers doing draft after draft, you probably could have funded a faithful, low budget adaptation of the source material.
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of the unmarked grave it's been buried in, only to be clubbed over the head and buried again.
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Anything Smith touches turns into ball less soul less multiplex fodder.
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and now, Will Smith?...uhh, i've liked him in other things but this...i have but one reaction for Warners, (imitating Heston): "DAMN YOU ALL TO HELLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
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Aww hell naw! Whoa! Aww hell naw! Whoa! Aww hell naw! Whoa!
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I am a huge fan of the novella, one of the finest vampire stories ever. This is going to suck donkey balls - no way they will actually stick to the original brilliant ending. I am pissed off and will avoid this movie at all costs, much like I, Robot.
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Throw in a few racist remarks, I'm not a racist reactionary talkbacks, some hating...a little anit-liberal and anti-Bush talk and we got ourselves a typical talkback when anybody Black is mentioned. Ain't it cool! And thus I'm heading over to the Spidy talkback. Oh, this will make a shit load of money people like Will Smith and the Charlton Heston version (Omega Man) was a good B movie but not as great as people think so I don't want to hear shite like "Don't mess with a classic" and " Hollywood is raping my childhood" BS.
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This TB's been going on for hours, and none of what you described has ocurred. Have fun talking about Tobey's suit though...
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The failure of the 1997 version broke my heart.
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Hear me bleep
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I AM LEGEND is one of the great novels of my life, the same kind of seminal reading experience I got from THE HOBBIT, LORD OF THE FLIES, A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY and THE GREAT SANTINI. Any movie adaptation will sink or swim based on how smart the producers are in sticking to Matheson's tale (though you gotta give THE OMEGA MAN extra points just for being so fucking cool), and if this version sticks to Protosevich's outstanding adaptation, it'll do me fine. Bring it on!
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...to be closer to the spirit of the original novella and Smith can resist the urge to Fresh Prince it up, this could still be quite good. It's really the best of the post-apocalyptic zombie scenario stories (except with vampires). The guy's pretty much completely alone, fighting for his life and his sanity. He's resisiting the inevitible. No need for a Hollywood happily ever after to be tacked on.
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You'll read through this in about an hour or two. It's real short and real good. Matheson RULES.
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That guy can't even dance.
and he's black. -
Yeah, it seems he is on the wane a bit. I think people have had enough of him. I like his work but think directors need to real him in and cast him in roles where he doesn't just "Be Will" (ID4, MIB, WWW, BB's etc. Hay! All his shite films have crap anacronyms. Coincidence?) He does have personality and can act when given the right script/director. And Hairy, Bicentenial Man better than I, Robot? Think again. Peace.
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Apr 26, 2006 8:46:47 AM CDT
Now cast him as Sherlock Holmes and make Watson a woman
by salvatoregravano
I suppose the allegedly upcoming adaptation of Beowulf will have Jackie Chan or another Smithish rapper/wannabe "actor" as the protagonist (Grendel will be, no doubt, a German played by a Brit). I did hear that they suffer from various "political correctness" insanities over there in USA, though.
By the way, will Smith take a month to learn to actually speak what supposedly is his mother's tongue? His mumbling "gangsta" slang in "I, Robot" physically hurt ears. In my phonetics classes, it took me less than four months to learn both proper RP and GenAme. Smith still cannot speak what is supposedly his native language.
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I feel the same way about the book. Why do you think Protosevich's adaptation is outstanding though? Don't get me wrong, as an action movie it is excellent. But, as an adaptation of the novel it is dissapointing, in my opinion. It seems like they are discarding it but would still love to hear your thoughts. SPOLIER. As much as I dislike the ending I though the "Leatherman-in-the-mouth" escape was pretty Bad Ass.
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Apr 26, 2006 8:48:09 AM CDT
I would rather see Kevin Smith, Dr. Smith, Mr. Smith...
by studioplant69
Star in this than "Big Willie"... Couldn't they get Don Cheadle or Denzel Washington? I want my money back from I Robot, what a waste! I cannot wait, the movie will have a scene with WS going through stores with long lingering shots of product placement! Of course nothing is as bad as the Apple stuff in Blade 3, that was painful to watch.
This movie will cost 150 million and make 180 million...awhellnaw!
GFY -
Quite the conundrum. JAGUART stole my subject line but it's the very first thing I thought about this announcement. It could be good if they had a ballsy director like Ridley Scott (he was on it once) and an intelligent script that didn't cater to the morons who are too busy texting their friends to even be watching the film in the first place. But who am I kidding morons have a husge disposable income, curiously, and theis film will be tailr made shit for them but that's okay because I still canwatch the Charlton Heston version or the Vincent Price version if I like and I will be among the directors who get to remake all of these remakes and add the brains back into them come ten years from now.
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I know it was an old draft and I can't recall who wrote it, but it was pretty damned good. If they're making that script into a movie, I'd go see it. Even if Will Smith is in it. I'm assuming it would be the "Bad Boys 2" Will Smith and not the "Hitch" Will Smith. Personally I like him as a movie actor, even if I hated the bullshit product placements in I, Robot.
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Thanks a lot for proving Lost Skeleton right Salvatore and future help. I don't think Neville's race is important at all. Denzel would be a great choice. Should be someone in their 40's at least.
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Will Smith is not interested in being a serious actor, but I have to wonder why not when he IS capable of pulling out good stuff.
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That would be hilarious. I also wonder if Will Smith's character will live in the "honky paradise, brother?"
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Even with Francis Lawrence helming, once Smith steps in, it's all his...look for this to become another big budget Will Smith vehicle! As far as I'm concerned, this puppies dead!
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this is not the I AM LEGEND you are thinking of... it's actually I AM JOHN LEGEND, and Will Smith plays the title role of the talented Grammy-winning young singer.
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Nice one.
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-Strange Brew
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I would LOVE to see Giamatti in this. Wasn't Neville in the original novel an "everyman" sort of character? ( it's been a while since I read it. Maybe I'll pick it up at Border's today. ) I think it would make the situation all the more compelling with Giamatti going through the trials in the book instead of some muscular action hero. Hey, McWeeney shot down "AVP 2: The Sucking", maybe we can shoot this one down too.
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This pretty much just droppped off my radar. Doog talent all around, but not right for this movie. Casting by demographics. Typical. I hope i eat these words, but i know i wont...
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I like Smith in some roles but not this one. Warners has their head up their asses! It will be turned into Blade 4! I guess Smith is still under contract with Warners from Wild Wild West days. I'm sure next they will get Jon Peters to produce. Count me out! Could you imagine if Ridley Scott had done this, man I'm bummed!
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I like Will Smith fine in the movies I've seen him in (FP of Bel Air seemed to suck though). Even when his movies flopped (WWWest. MiB2), I never felt he was the reason for the failure. I know he can act (see Ali, 6 Degrees of Separation), but rarely is asked to do more than his normal schtick. So why does WB want him? Is this the same role played by Heston and Price? If so, WS has his work cut out for him. I'd be curious to see if he can actually play someone smart (not a shot at Will, being smart and playing smart are obviously different). On the other hand, if the role has been changed to fit Will's standard persona, I'm not sure I'll be happy with the story. I love the originals, but they're not untouchable. A good version, a better version even, can be made, and I'm hoping this will be it, but I need to hear a lot more before I get aboard the Legend train.
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In Six Degrees of Separation Smith had a brilliant acting turn, especially if you consider willingness to appear in a shocking and contexually demeaning scene (The one from The Crying Game is mellow by comparison) brilliant. .............. . . . . Now, I would say that the last man on earth should be played with a bit of rock and roll attitude but he'd best avoid that "Blade" type of attitude and shoot for a less self-conscious cool. Because the last man on earth doesn't have to preen and pose for anybody. Personally I'd be fragging vampires in an open terrycloth bathrobe and waffle stompers if there were nobody left but them to impress.
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The Martian Chronicles and I Am Legend are two of my favorite books. Next I guess theyll screw up Martian Chronicles
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I agree. Can see Smith doing this right, but he would need a damn good director to direct him. Why is everybody jumping on Smith? Most of the directors that direct him are lazy. They just want him to be him or when he goes to Big Willy Style, instead of luaghing and saying, "let's try that again for real" they shout, "and that's a take!" The thing I'm concerned about is the director. I liked constintine, but I can't help but see a patteren . Does anyone else not get the vibe that this is going to be great sets with lots of CGI action if given to that guy? Will could work, but this needs someone Like Fincher or Cronenberg to draw out the acting chops and create that bleak mood. Peace.
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*Tips hat* peace.
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Don Cheadle would be a better choice
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I think a solid adaptation of I AM LEGEND wholly depends on how closely they decide to stick to the source material, as I said. OMEGA MAN jettisoned almost everything but the basic premise, and works beautifully as early-70s counterculture freakshow. Protosevich's I AM LEGEND script DOES work primarily as an action vehicle, but it also taps into a modernized reassessment of the basic underlying social issues Matheson's original novel did. Back then, it was all counterculture alienation. Today, it's the idea of the mutant-as-neighbor, the concept that we can't really determine anymore WHO is the real monster, because they're all around us, faceless Internet flamers, colorless midnight intruders, ordinary-looking souls hiding HIV, what-have-you... What really sang to me about Protosevich's script (and no, I don't think it's truly a faithful adaptation, though it's absolutely true to the SPIRIT of the novel) was how much it sounded like a movie that could be MORE than just a lot of chases, scares and explosions. It could resonate the way DAWN OF THE DEAD did at the dawn of the self-consuming 1980s, or THE EXORCIST as the 70s counterculture self-destructed and the decadence of America's youth became a real source of terror and concern for its adult population. Protosevich's I AM LEGEND is as much about subtext as text, and that's what makes it so damned good. Bring it on!!
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I truly hate the idea of Will Smith taking on the role of Neville... if in fact he ends up playing "NevWill." I HATED his performance in I, ROBOT, a severely flawed movie that could have risen above absymal failure if only its lead star had taken it a little more seriously. (Oh, who am I kidding, NOTHING was going to save I, ROBOT... this is Asimov's punishment for dying an atheist -- his tales will be butchered for eternity!!)... ;)
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...that's why Will Smith doesn't fit. He's known for wiseass/smart-alecky roles. If he's to be credible in a humorless role (genetic scientist thinking he's the last man on earth) this ain't the film for him to break his image. Given the sci-fi theme and obvious effects potential, this will be tailored as a Will Smith vehicle than an adaptation of the novel. Seems like a bad idea.
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In order for this to work, Neville has to die at the end. Not some crappy, happy ending. Who would play Virginia, Kathy and of course, Ben Cortman are the questions?
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I remember reading it for the first time as a teenager and how powerful, even to this day, the last few paragraphs were. There's a melancholy profundity there which is sorely lacking in far too many modern SF, fantasy or horror novels. I have no hope that such a feeling can be translated into a modern big budget version of the story. The talent and capacity is there, but the will and selflessness is not.
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The character is middle-aged, somber and reflective. Sound much like Will? And with the douchebag who made Constantine on board, this film is being born in the crapper.
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They will change the name to Neville Stoneballs or Neville Steelsack. Have to add a wise cracking young sidekick too, hey how about the kid from IRobot? WS clothes will look like a race car drivers with patches and emblems all over. At some point during the movie he will kill someone with an iPod and then the theme song will play on it... "Legend, I am Legend, the lengend of I am lengend. I was legendary, dem vamps was scarry. They got nuttin to carry, cause I am legendary. Greg Brady's real name was Barry, but I am legendary" I can see the video now, dancing vampires and stuff! Woo! You go Big Willie! First in line baby! GFY
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Your comment about Cheadle is very astute. The main character in I Am Legend should not be portrayed as an action character. He is about introspection and loss. That's why Arnold would never have worked. If you liked Omega Man you can watch it on dvd, but this adaptation should not look like Omega if they're trying to bring the book to the screen. Smith is just the wrong choice and I think he's trying to revive his action career with this which speaks ill for a decent film.
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Fuck Will Smith and fuck the stupid joke-ridden, wink-wink "funny" piece of garbage this film will turn into with him in the lead. Maybe it'll have a few cool scenes in it (I ROBOT did too) but ultimately it'll blow mutant schlong.
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would be better than Will Smith. Add Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal, Van Fucking Damme and Don "The Dragon" Wilson. Add that guy on the street you see when you look out the window. Anyone. Just not that Will Smith cunt.
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That line will be in there somewhere. This sounds like a perfect vehicle for Will Smith, but, I always kinda hoped I AM LEGEND wouldn't be a "vehicle" per se. Then again, the last two kinda were, and seeing as how it mostly follows a male lead, it's kind of built that way. Can't wait for the top ten "Icka Icka-I Am Legend" single.
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I was beaten to the awwh hell nah reference. Ah well.
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For your take on the material. It seems to be in the hands of Goldsman now. On the subject of casting, I think Liam Neeson would be pretty great as Neville. Viggo would be good too.
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He's got that tortured look and stilted dialogue works for him. He was a very haunted character in "King of New York." I think it works. Although Uncapie had great choices with Kurt Russell or Robert Forster. I vote for E. Elias Merhige as director.
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Seriously. Weak.
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Nobody does the neckerchief anymore. Chucky Heston rocked that little piece of neckware. Do questions about costume design seem as gay to read as they do to write? Also, I always feel that Thomas Jane is doing an homage to Chuck Heston's jaw clench most of the time. Why not go vintage shot for shot and have Thomas Jane do it? Oh, I remember - cause that would suck. If the lead has to be a man of color, go with Henry Simmons, that giant dude from NYPD Blue. It's a great, great story, and the reductive nature of the studio system today does not bode well for keeping the simplest of layers to the original story. This is why Netflix is huge and box office is shrinking. Quoting Nora Desmond "It's the movies that have gotten smaller." And stupider, cliched, and hackneyed.
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Oh my. That is crap. After the dreck that was *The Wild Wild West*, the Warner brass should have permanently banned Smith from any scifi property of theirs. This would make casting Brandon Routh in the lead look like an intelligent decision. Friggin' cast Kurt Russell - as you considered back in 1998 as Arnold's replacement - you gimps!
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Any of the "original" ideas from it were lifted by Warner's sister company New Line Cinema by David Goyer for the *Blade* films. The book's author hates that script too, by the way...
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What the world needs is more imput from the scumbag who wrote Batman and Robin and Lost in Space (no one dare mention the Ron Howard movies)
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"Come out? Aww hell nah!", or let me guess, "No you didn't". Charlton Heston would still be better. At least HE can act. Jesus.
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While watching "I Robot", I kept thinking what a good movie this could be with someone other than Smith in the lead...someone who wasn't compelled to drag along his trademark "humor" (which was most "unfunny" BTW) and stamp the movie with his "charm". IR had the feel of an old Swartzy-tailored script from the '80s with Smith shoehorned in place of Arnie.
Is history repeating itself with this "Legend" redux? Looks like...
Lawrence's "Constantine" film wasn't bad, despite it having slim resembelence to it's cockney source material and the step he'll be repeating from that is having a totally inappropraite lead to deal with. (Keanu tried but had way too much Matrix-y baggage).
I like th classic Heston film alot (and it sure deviated from the original Matheson book itself).
Can this new project do the same and stand on it's own? Well, with all the zombie-vampire-apocolypto flicks we've been flooded with over recent years, Law & Smit have their work cut out for 'em.
But I gotta add....aww hell no...(sorry, it's overused and obvious but considering who's involved, appropraite eh?)....
I'll pass.... -
Let's get Sonnenfeld or Schumacher for the Smith/vampire dance number/video. If they're going to fuck this up they might as well go all the way.
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...AICN Talkbacks are just too predictable. The Spidy pics were kind of disappointing by the way. I need some black suit pics to get the juices running. I do hope they keep the "street" Will out of this as echoed by CHUD in their version of the story.
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You watch. Will Smith will end up making a rap cover of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and do a music video with people dressed up as the vamps dancing around. The problem with the book *I Am Legend* is that it is too damn short for a film. It has to be expanded. And if you are battling vampires in Los Angeles and you are the last human, you won't be stuck in your shack. You'd move to the Hollywood Hills into a mansion and heavily fortify it after picking up all the weaponry you could find from the gun stores and dead gangbangers. Tone wise, you gotta synthesize the influences of the original book, the Heston film, and then stuff like the film *Falling Down* and the British television miniseries *Ultra Violet* (not the crap movie). That's how you make a decent adaptation. You also get a David Fincher, a Peter Jackson, a Ridley Scott, or a similar director of their calibur. Maybe Joe Carnahan could do it. Certainly not Michael Bay, Brett Ratner, or Bryan Singer. If you need to go cheaper, get Rob Bowman (who was slated to replace Scott back in 98) or even Jonathan Frakes (based upon the tone from *First Contact*). Hell, take a chance and grab British director Joe Ahearne. He directed the original *Ultra Violet* as well as a few *Doctor Who* eps. But lock Will Smith out of the production and sack whichever execs at Warners thought this was a great idea. Yeah, up there with *Catwoman*.
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...Clive Owen as Robert Neville. Not friggin Will Smith.
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It's funny... I had noted, with shock, the lack of race-based critique in the TB just before you posted your prediction. Hence me sticking my nose in. Should have known it was too good to last. Lynxpro - Clive's a good fit but I don't buy his US accent. It was distracting in Sin City and Inside Man (I kept thinking they would make a plot point out his wobbly accent in the latter, but no, it was just a bit rubbish), he was great but it just irked me. Russel Crowe was attached to this after Gladiator wasn't he?
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Guy Gaduois: TB comedy champ thus far. Henry Simmons would be fucking awesome, but not famous enough for the way studios think, unfortunately.
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yah i really cant see them keeping the books ending in this and they really gotta stop giving will smith gigs,he was great in fresh prince but everything else hes in its just him smith doin his wika wika worst to ruin the movie.
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Fucking Pullo from Rome! Yes, he would be perfect. THIRTEEN!
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My initial reaction was: "OH. MY. *GOD*!!!" Smith can do good work, but I'm expecting another "I, Robot" - and that ain't good.
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Books are better than movies anyway.
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Hollywood can not handle this kind of story. They fuck it up every time. And my personal choice for Neville would be Michael Wincott, but good luck ever seeing anyone cast him as the lead in a blockbuster. This will SUCK, and I will again be pissed at Hollywood for not being able to take a wonderful, basic, easy-to-translate short novella and turn it into a feature film. LET ME WRITE THE DAMN SCRIPT! I'll stay true to the book. No mutants. No action flick moments. No happy ending. No compromises on the original story that aren't absolutely necessary. Hollywood: SCRAP this idea if your best shot of getting it to the screen involves Will Smith.
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Wasn't "I,Robot" punishment enough?
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Will the Fresh Prince have a soundtrack album or video to correspond with this "stinker-to-be"?!?! Granted, I liked 'I Robot' a lot, the longer version even better, but Smith in the lead, taking care of a sick daughter and vampires on the loose outside doesn't sit right with me. Read the Eclipse Comics adaptation Harry! Great stuff!!!
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Oh yea...great.
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house!!!
Actual dialogue from the film -
That's an I AM LEGEND I want to see. The Protosevitcvh Arnold/Ridley script was an atrocity. The John Logan draft was quite cool until the truly idiotic third act (the big showdown in a BOWLING ALLEY!?!) Give Andrew Kevin Walker a shot at it. He's been laying low for a while.
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Check out Owen in *Derailed* which was surprisingly good. Especially the ending. Owen's "American" accent has improved. I'd take a faux-Merican accent over being subjected to another "aahhhhh hell no" line in a genre flick. And for anyone who wants to make it a race issue, I'd prefer to see Snipes or Rhames fighting the vamps over Will Smith. Heck, give either of them all of Smith's upcoming roles too just as I think Rosario Dawson should be recast in anything penned for Halle Berry.
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Agree absolutely. I'm actually British so maybe I notice the Englishness in his voice more. Still think Denzel would be perfect. Shit we could all list ten names that would be better suited. I think the real problem is going to be Goldsman. Really uninteresting writer.
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I got the impression from the actual novella "I Am Legend" that the protagonist, Robert Neville, was no one special... he was just The Guy Who Was Left. I wish they'd gone with someone like Paul Giamatti, Kevin Spacey, or Phillip Seymour Hoffman for this instead of Smith's marquee-value name. How much better would this movie be with any of those actors in the lead? Guess we'll never know. Just please, please, don't close the movie with another Will Smith rap track about the movie.
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I think it COULD be good...but only if the producers of the film decide they don't want Will Smith to play "Will Smith!" and spout out half-baked one-liners as he fights plague vampires (which, now that I think about it, the character tends to do a little in I Am Legend).
It has to be a role played as a man who is gradually losing (or has lost) his humanity. It's a crazy role but not a "KRAY-ZAY!" role.
I am both eagerly awaiting and fearing what they come up with -
That's what makes him starring definite. Even if Warners give a shit about the whole internet hating the idea of WIll Smith in this film, they still couldn't replace him. If they did, they'd lose the $15-20 million they signed him on for.
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This will be horrible. Greenlighters from the major studios should be hung by the neck until dead. They have no clue as to what is good.
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that Will Smith will be the death of this movie. He was decent in Ali, but only because he had something in common with the material - I Am Legend, just like I Robot, is so out of Smith's element that it's just a lost fucking cause.
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And it's a schwoogie. Somehow I don't think that'll go over well in the red states.
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Dakota Fanning as Kathy and Jack Black as Ben Cortman. Remember, Cortman looked like Oliver Hardy in the book. I am one of the very few and fortunate to have read Richard Matehson's original script that was to be made in 1964. Its everything the book is except the ending is different. Just take the pages from the original novel and film that! Also, don't set it in New York. They already did "The World, The Flesh and the Devil." Set it in L.A.
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He just doesn't seem old or tortured enough to be Neville.. I have to admit that when I first saw Xmen I pictured "That dude playing Wolverine" would be a perfect Neville.. unfortunately he hit it big, and is in everything now.. now seeing Jackman in the role would disengage my suspension of disbelief, it would just take me right out of the movie.. unless it was an absolutely riveting performance... however, it may be unlikely that a 'psuedo-vampire' movie would have such a performance in it.. Oh well.. I'm sure we'll get enough pop culture references and afro-americano dialogue to make even the most discerning 14 year old white boy happy... Getting the guy who directed Constantine is a pretty positive step though.. That was not a bad film... I, D'oh-bot on the other hand.......
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"Don't make me bust a stake in yo' undead punk ass Big Wille style, BEEEE-YOTCH!!!!!"
(Of course the inevitable soundtrack contribution showcasing Mr. Smith's, er...rapping "talents" would follow.) -
EYES ARE GONNA BUG.
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i mean bruce wayne... or is it christian bale? whatever his name is would be absolutely perfect for this role. think the machinist without all the weight loss.
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I like Will Smith. Fresh Prince re-runs still amuse me and I think Bad Boys 2 is one of the greatest 'shit blowing up' movies ever made. Because of such roles, I'm very interested to see how this turns out. I seriously doubt they'll turn a novella as dark as I Am Legend into a silly Men in Black kiddie's flick. I also seriously doubt Francis Lawrence would make such a film anyway. Which means this could possibly be a dark, disturbing, and even faithful adaptation. Starring the Fresh Prince. Impaling vampire children. Sounds like a blast to me.
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Just finished reading "I Am Legend". I can certainly appreciate that this novella was written in 1954 and was definitely ahead of its time. But the ending left me longing for one of those Shayamalamadingdong twists which is trademark Matheson. Instead, what I got was an anticlimactic death. Now he is supposed the monster among the vampiric members of society, yada yada. Kind of retarded, yet cool. I guess it makes society ask the question "What is 'normal'?" I'm sure Tom Cruise's dyslexic ass appreciates that theme.
I've come to realize that Matheson is actually the father of Spielberg, Stephen King, Abrams, Alan Moore, you name it, this guy was the forefather of the modern thriller. No gore, no cliches, no shortcuts. He has to be the most important and potent storyteller of the 20th century. Much better than the pulitzer fag that wrote that garbage called "The Great Gatsby". What a fuckin' waste of time for a 10th grader. Bruce Dern couldn't even liven that turd up. If Daisy was anything like Mia Farrow in that movie, they should have shot her while she was taking her morning swim too. How could Gatsby obsess over such a grating and aggravating biatch? -
There's no need to go the action blockbuster route with this material. They could made the whole film for a fraction of what they're going to pay Will Smith. The whole goddamn story takes place on a suburban street! You hardly even have to build anything! The horror of the story comes out of it being one step removed from everyday life, and the creeping dread of wondering how long he can hold out. They could stick to the book and make it for fucking nothing, and at least have a shot at a sleeper hit that makes money. But no. You fucking know this is going to be I Robot with vampires.
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...it could be a pretty important role for him to take. The whole Big Willy schtick has served him well but one can only ride on charisma alone for so long...if he's serious about evolving, broadening his range and proving his mettle as a serious leading man, a film like this could be the ideal solution...it'll be a big sci-fi epic to draw in the masses but if he approaches the part as it should be approached, it could be a genuine watershed for him in terms of playing an actual role rather than playing Big Will again...hell, it could be his Bladerunner! My only concern is whether he's got the hunger to start pushing himself in the films he does - with the exception of Ali, he's been coasting. I think it'll be interesting to see if he adapts to I Am Legend or whether I Am Legend adapts to Will Smith.
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Oh no you don't! Welcome to Earth! Crap. I like Will Smith, but this will not be good. From film we had Vincent Price and Charlton Heston, now we get The Fresh Prince. Well, only if DJ Jazzy Jeff plays the Anthony Zerbe role... Crap, even Arnold with his sly comments would be better than WS. If they are going to use WS you may as well get Sly Stallone and revive his career. Christ, go with someone like Bill Paxton or Lawrence Fishburne.
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...though actually his friend and cohort in HBO'S ROME (Virinus -- forget the actor's name, sorry!) would be an even better choice. The dude rocked in DOG SOLDIERS, too. I like the idea of casting one of these guys, who would be a virtual unknown to most of mainstream America. Wow, now that I've got some good actors in my mind's eye, I'm REALLY bummed about the Will Smith idea... Welcome to Earf, indeed!!
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It's been decades since i read i am legend (as a teen i spent all day reading it in a single sitting). from what i recall we're not looking for an all-out action hero are we? WS seems like a decent guy but i do not feel he's right for this, unless they are going to turn it into a summer blockbuster.
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His style is much more suited to the role than Smith...and he could use a hit already too.
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Omega Man is a fucking TERRIBLE movie. Laughable the entire way through, not only because of it's 70's trappings, but also because it simply sucked from so many other angles. This film could work, and have the same claustrophobic and trapped feel the book does, but it can't be done up as a big budget blockbuster and stay faithful. If it's done in the same vein as 28 Days Later, it could work really nicely...And as for Smith, nope, has to be someone who can pull-off an introspective hollowness that would come with living like what's-his-nuts did in the book.
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I've always thought Denzel Washington would be phenomenal for this role, but Don Cheadle would be fantastic as well. With the Constantine guy teaming with Will Smith, the only thing I have to hope for is another remake in about twenty years.
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It's the perfect Charlon Heston role. He's just been complicit in the destruction of the world, but his ego is so huge that he STILL thinks he's better than the counterculture mutants and hippie survivor kids. And it turns out he's right. That's why it's a good movie - because it took the I Am Legend concept and layered something over it. The Vincent Price version had the better ending, but Chuck's version is damn good. And I have to hand it to some of the casting directors in here, I never even THOUGHT of either Cheadle or Giammati as Neville, but either one would be FUCKING AWESOME for a version that was true to the novel. Don Cheadle can make you fucking scared for him, as anyone who saw Hotel Rwanda can testify, and Giammati would convey the claustrophobia of the novel better than probably any actor alive.
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Thank you, I'll be here all week. Please try the shrimp scampi.
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A wonderful bummer, but a bummer nonetheless. It's like War of the Worlds in that the human's pretty much lose. It will NOT be a hit, even with Ben Kingsley in the title role.
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wazooooooweeoooo i think larry the cable guy should play the charactor "will smith"
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Get Milius to pen the screenplay, direct, and cast the film! Or have a Milius screenplay with Coppola directing, and I don't mean Sofia. Speaking of Coppolas, Nick Cage could pull off the Robert Neville role and certainly better than Smith ever could dream of...
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In that he is the end, the destroyer, of all things cinematic. Anyone who gets excited when they hear Will Smith's name attached to a respectable intellectual property must have a gaping, gamey head wound. Will Smith comes 1 inch from completely ruining any dramatic feature he is attached to, with the exception of Ali, which in contrast was an extremely forgettable movie, whether his acting was good or not. Has anyone here actually sat through Ali more than once? And I contend that the only reason Smith gave a respectable performance in Ali was because he was intimidated by the project and felt he had to prove himself, aside from that he was portraying an immensely respected person and in that situation giving the film his 'special' brand of will smith levity would have been a career-sinking move. NOW Smith is the boss, the George Lucas of the set, the person who no one can say 'no' to because he's the most important person on the project. So yes, you can look forward to inappropriate hipness and ebonics and at least 3 or 4 'Awwww, HELL no!'s. I guaruntee this movie will be I Robot and ID4 set in a mutant apocalypse. Will Smith is the acting equivilant of Paul WS Anderson. For some astounding, confounding reason he keeps getting attached to projects that are not appropriately matched to his skills as an 'artist'. I'm still waiting for him to be cast as Abraham Lincoln in the upcoming biopic...
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I'm not sure why you all are whining about a script. Akiva's running this show now, and he's going to write the script AFTER they finish designing all the set pieces, storyboards, etc. Yeah, you heard me...design the big bangs, then jerry-rig a script around them. Sigh.
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All drinkin' pinot noir at night and takin' off vampire heads with a shovel in the morning (hungover).
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Seriously.
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the official website is finally up!
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I predict at least 37...
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I Am Legend is tailor-made for John Carpenter, so what better lead to have in the film then the star of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, and THE THING? If they could capture even half the magic of those films, it would certainly be better than anything Will Smith has ever starred in.
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Martin Lawrence makes an appearence and Michael Bay directs! Everyone now....shirts un-buttoned and in slow-motion!
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That was fucking beautiful.
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You view that Heston is "better than the counterculture mutants and hippie survivor kids" doesn't hold up. Heston's Neville feels responsible for the shape of the world and takes on the guilt for all the wrongs of his generation. He watches "Woodstock" over & over again. He slowly goes insane because with all his weapons, food, booze & comfort he's a self-isolated prisoner. He hooks up with the surviving hippies and helps them because he realizes the errors of his old world - the world that Mathias mocks. The mutant/zombies represent a cartoon representation of his guilt enforcing the ending of the past & Neville's guilt. If you don't get the Jesus metaphor, then you didn't see the ending. Heston is crucified taking on the sins of the world & saves the "hippie survivor kids" with his blood, for them to live and learn from his mistakes. Looking forward to "I Am Legend" done right. "Omega Man" is psychologically a different (if flawed) film.
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...Omega Man is a great & multi-layered movie.
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Robert Neville in *The Omega Man* does not die crucified. He is in a crucifix pose having bled to death in the fountain from the spear that pierced his side. Definitely Christ imagery though (drink from me and live forever, etc.). Certainly an improvement over the Vicent Price Robert Neville character death by spear in *The Last Man on Earth* where all he does is scream "you freaks" which Matheson wrote in the screenplay (but not in his book). The other thing about the Heston role is that his Robert Neville isn't a wuss. He is a champion of ass-kickery. If he's lonely, its because he's desperate for sex, like Neville is in the book. Personally, I love both the book as well as the Heston film. The Price film isn't that great, although it could have been had Hammer Films made it and not American Independent. But one thing is for sure, they will all be better than a Will Smith helmed outing of the material.
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you know...he played a real nutty guy in 6 degrees of seperation...i think he should start playing roles that are against his type...he is of the same mold of acting as tom cruise...and that's unfortunate...if anybody could play this role well it would be bruce willis type of guy...but he is sorta a caricature now too...i'd say get a new face for this role...somebody without baggage.
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