Cool News
Will Smith, Francis Lawrence, And That Damn 'Zombie'-Making Super Virus Head Towards An I AM LEGEND Prequel!!
Merrick here...
Back 'round Comic Con, I AM LEGEND director Francis Lawrence indicated that discussions were afoot regarding a possible I AM LEGEND prequel.
Looks like that's close to happening now that a script is being written by D.B. Weiss.
The prequel will chronicle the final days of humanity in New York before a man-made virus caused a plague that left Smith’s character the lone survivor among a mutated mob in the city.
...says THIS ARTICLE in Variety.
I can see this kinda/sorta/maybe working as a tense, dizzying, end-of-the-world-as-seen-from NYC thriller. We already know what happens to Neville, which might make our journey all the more unnerving. Or, maybe the whole thing will be really fucking depressing because we know there's... like...no hope.
Personally, I think they chickened out not going with the film's original ending (aka the "alternate" ending you can see on the DVDs and Blu-Rays). Its bitch slap would've brought the movie much more resonance. If you haven't seen it, here it is (the rest of the film leading up to it is pretty much the same, if not identical):
Readers Talkback
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..no CGI mutants/zombies/whatever. Take the approach The Descent did with real makeup effects!
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jesus
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Why can't somebody in Hollywood make a fucking NEW MOVIE.
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Sept. 25, 2008, 9:43 a.m. CST
The alternate ending was much better than the one used in the th
by Slippy
The movie was pretty good up until that shitty ending used in the theatrical version. The prequel sounds like pure shit though.
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Had to finish my title.
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Sept. 25, 2008, 9:45 a.m. CST
I'm the one guy on the planet that actually loved I Am Legend
by Hawaiian Organ Donor
But a prequel is a horrible idea. We saw all that needed to be seen through the flashbacks.<p>And what's with all the people saying the alternate ending is the ballsy one? The ballsy ending is the one where the hero dies.<p>A true ballsy ending would have been no cure and no hope for the survival of humanity.
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DO NOT WANT! DO NOT WANT! DO NOT WANT!
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Sept. 25, 2008, 9:47 a.m. CST
And then maybe they can make a prequel to the prequel.
by thedarklinglord
You know, a good two hours of daily life in NYC, Neville going to work, eating lunch, paying his bills. All that great, in-depth character backstory that had to get cut. Because, you know, I'm fucking DYING to know what his life was like before everything went to hell. Who the fuck cares about a prequel? And after the pussed out on the ending, who gives a shit about a sequel? Stop with the fucking franchises already and write some new, original shit. Goddamn, Hollywood makes me sad.
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It just there so I took it.
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What exactly is the plot of this movie going to be? Who wants to see the events LEADING UP to the outbreak of the virus? I for one am NOT paying to see Emma Thompson sitting in a lab and Will Smith going to the park with his family for two hours. Jesus... between this and the MOBY DICK news, I actually want to bash my head against a wall.
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SIXTH SENSE 2: HAPPY DAYS, in which Bruce Willis falls in love and talks about how everything is going to be great for an hour and a half.<p>STAR WARS: A DAY BEFORE THE PHANTOM MENACE, in which we follow Anakin on his daily slave rounds whilst he dreams of being an annoying shit and raping a million childhoods in a black mask.<p>THE USUAL SUSPECTS: BEFORE THE LINE-UP, in which we follow Keyzer Soze doing his shopping. Keyzer will be shaded out and his voice will be synthesised to protect his identity in case the audience hasn't seen the first movie yet.<p>SCOOBY DOO: PUPPY POWER, in which we relive Scooby's puppy days which are filled with glorious over-cooked CGI and a young blonde kid who smokes too much dope behind the bike shed.
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Basically a big-screen version of a 1950's sitcom, I guess. Also, happy birthday Will Smith!
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Sept. 25, 2008, 10:01 a.m. CST
SPEED 3: ANY SPEED'S COOL, JUST DON'T GO TOO FAST PLEASE.
by brokentusk
In which Keanu Reeves watches television for an hour and half.
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Hehehehe
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I thought it was a blast. I've got no problems with a prequel either.
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II Am Legend. Oh Yeah
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Sept. 25, 2008, 10:10 a.m. CST
"A true ballsy ending would have been no cure and no hope for th
by Cleave
This is the ending of the book, sort of. The vampires were more intelligent in the book and it ended with the new vampire society taking over the world by executing Neville, who had become a legend in their society by going round murdering them during the day asthey slept. Much better than the film..
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cant see the milage in this... we know everything, and it'll only make the original seem less scary.
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In which we follow Smith's character as he deals with his cutesy family. Learn how he acquires his dog, Boomer!
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No point to this at all. Go back and make a better job of this great book - they changed it so much that another version wouldn't be out of the question I reckon. The ending was LAAAAME, such a cop-out and rendered the title completely meaningless. SPOILER!! How can mankind become 'legend' if he's not made extinct by the monsters? Bah, don't get me started!!
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Followed by the sequel I WILL BE LEGEND.
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I know this has been said before, but it's still stupid that they drive out of Manhattan when they established earlier in the film that there was no way to do so.
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what a NOVEL idea! not a sequel, but what happened BEFORE the events in the first film. Because that was not covered adequately with the back-story and flashbacks in the first film. How about "Back to the Legend"? oh, anything to see Will Smith on screen again! And more Bob Marley music ! (because that was so clever too, how Bob Marley's lyric almost perfectly matched Matheson's title... almost like they were smoking the same grass and thinking the same thoughts!)
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Sept. 25, 2008, 10:22 a.m. CST
The alternate ending sucks just as bad as the theatrical one
by I am_NOTREAL
and I hated I Am Legend, it was one of the worst movies I've seen recently. Only the very beginning was decent at all. The rest was unmitigated crap and a complete betrayal of quality source material.
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in what way was Will Smith's character a legend in the film?
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A RUINED CHANCE AT MAKING A GREAT MOVIE BASED ON A GREAT NOVELLA.
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Yep, I saw IAL in the theatres and the entire audience groaned when that shot of them driving out of Manhatten at end came on...
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WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HOLLYWOOD DOESN'T HAVE THE BALLS TO DO SOMETHING PROFOUND FOR ONCE, AND INSTEAD MAKES ANOTHER COP-OUT WILL SMITH ACTION MOVIE (the prequel)
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I think they're trying to say enough with the fucking prequels already, especially in horror films where deconstructing every aspect only diminishes the...the hookers are here. Buzz them in but the one in the red dress is a tranny. Post op.
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is that if they're not Smith or the dog... WHO THE FUCK CARES!!! WE KNOW THEY'LL DIE!!!
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Or... I Am Legend II: I'm Kind of a Big Deal...People Know Me.
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Any way you slice it the redefinition of "I Am Legend" for the movie kind of sucks. As opposed to the cool realization in the book that Neville is a legend like vampire's were a legend to humans and must be killed, in the movie we're supposed to buy that he is "legend" because he saved humanity. Man, it still burns me. As for the alternate ending, you're right, it doesn't even make sense...... but I guess one could argue that he is "legend" more in the sense of the book. But having other human survivors still makes that kind of stupid.
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I hate prequels. Who keep suggesting them? I bet it's the same guy, over and over again in all the studio meetings, putting up his damn hand and offering, "How about a prequel?"<p>Fuck that guy.<p>Anyway, a sequel starring Martin Lawrence seems like the safest bet here. Obviously, he is going to want ot sort of revenge for his dead homie Will Smith, and I imagine the film can incorporate a scenario where Lawrence has to disguise himself as an overweight female zombie. It will be hilarious.
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Wil Smith was fine. The need for a prequel is required about as much as I needed to see how Darth Vader came about ie NOT! They will do it coz it did well but it's a stoopid idea!
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Sometimes prequels are fine...you know, if the movie where we saw how it all ended was awesome. "I Am Legend" was just sort of okay, up until the shitty ending. Avoid. Abort.
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"Jack I want you to draw me like those one legged whores in gay Paree."
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I really liked it too. Also think a prequel is a bad idea, but I'll still see it, I'm sure.
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Fucking Francis Lawrence is so damn underrated... He made that shit work. When the movie was on point, it was perfectly on point, not a single misstep or tone deaf decision except for the CG vampires, some truly mindblowing visuals, only until the script lost its way near the end did it get away from him. But up until then what great mood and sensation. And Constantine should've sucked balls but didn't, it licked them gently and pleasurably. <p> This however, is a really bad idea.
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for now...
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And smells of rich mahagony...Merlon Olson comes over from time to time.
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That's all this is pretty much. The movie wasn't terrible in terms of popcorn Will Smith movie. But it wasn't I Am Legend. Such a shame the greatness of the book got pissed on.
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is that you're left with a "well, that's not as good as" flavor in your mouth akin to (insert disgusting thing of your choice here). If you don't believe me, go look at the Star Wars prequels. Anyway, if they went with the alternate ending instead of the "noble suicide" crap, we wouldn't have to do a PRECRAP.
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I accidently saw the unnecessary reremake, which emphatically proved it's unnecessariness. So news like this makes me think that when the economy does finally crash and we end up eating each other, it will be the end that we deserve for making shit like I AM LEGEND a hit.
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Thanks for the definitions. They should have called the movie "I Am Fucking Amazing"
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I waited for DVD on this one. Made the mistake of watching the theatrical cut, which completely let me down at the end. Watched the original ending, and wow. Turned a puzzling head-scratcher into a coherent full story arc. I mean, what exactly was the thought behind the change? Some retarded studio suit saying, "We can't have Neville being a questionable character"? The original ending at least allows the protagonist to actually LEARN something. The theatrical ending gives us the worst possible deus-ex-machina available- the cleansing explosion. "How do we end this movie? Well, let's just blow everything up." Boo. </p> <p> Oh, and read the book- it's great.
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A prequel? Really? Can't get blood from a stone, y'all.
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It is a prequel.
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somebody had to say it.
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Sounds like crap...This, once again is NOT cool news. It's a prequel to I am Legend...jeezzzz. I'll tell you how that movie is gonna end...Will Smith is trying to contact people with his radio thingy. Then the camera moves back to show the empty city and then it cuts to black. What i want to know what will this add to the overall story? I for one have no desire to see a prequel. It's done, story is over. MOVE ON!
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...and more in keeping with Richard Matheson's original ideas. Hollywood suits are really fuckin' idiots!
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... let's all eat the suits! (BTW: Anyone else think the bailout is a horrible idea and would rather see thousands of investment bankers raining out of the top floors of every building on Wall Street, creating the world's largest "street pizza"?)
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Any of those Hollywood execs see "Hannibal Rising?"
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The first one was great until about the time he lost his dog and the girl/kid showed up, and then it fell apart. <br> <br> Also, I prefer the alternate ending.
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...Fuck the prequel to I Am Legend... I wanna see the Batman Vs. Superman movie that was advertised on the huge banner in the background of one of Smith's scenes. Make that one instead! (Or maybe use the dilapitated city sets and CGI images, add in a coupla minarets and Arabic street signs, take the CGI lions, and do a "Pride of Baghdad" film.)
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What, exactly, is wrong with the ending from the book or the entire narrative structure of the book, for that matter? You know, making Neville black, making the city NYC, that's fine, I can handle changes like that, but the heart of the story is that the vampires are not evil, as a whole, and they have become the norm in society. Neville becomes the vampire to the vampires. None of that comes through in this last movie and even less will come through in a prequel. Sigh
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Prequels are so wrong because we know the ending, right? And this alt ending does spit in the face of Matheson because it's too, too soothing... at least, (spoiler alert)Heston dies at the end of Omega Man, and makes a point, too.
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in the spirit of numbers replacing letters in sequels?
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Sept. 25, 2008, 1:04 p.m. CST
WHY DID THEY HAVE TO USE THE BOOKS TITLE!
by judge dredds fresh undies
MOTHER FUCKERS, I WANT A TRUE I AM LEGEND ADAPTION. INSTEAD WE GET A HEAP OF SHIT AND NOW APPARENTLY THEY'RE GOING TO FILM THE CONGEALMENT OF THAT MASSIVE TURD.
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This idea is fucking retarded. And the movie sucked nuts compared to the book.
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Sorry to spoil your fun, but there's already a Scooby Doo prequel coming. Live action, Cartoon Network, god help us all.
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Lets hope they make the zombies a tad more realistic this time.
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WTFWTF?? Why not make the prequel to Green Acres: "When Oliver Met Lisa"? ACK!
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I don't think prequels inherently work. Look at Star Wars. Close, but no cigar. Maybe, a cheapie TV-movie could pull it off...but a major motion picture...uh uh. I too, loved I AM LEGEND. But I like the alternate ending much better. It DOES add more resonance, more a sense of hope. And humanity. I think it was closer to the sense of the original novel. Though not quite as subversive. Still, it's in the "spirit" ball-park.
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...he died for NO FUCKING REASON. What was the point of blowing himself up? What, because his dog died and he was alone? Because it sure as hell didn't help ANYONE to kill himself as he's the ONE PERSON who could really make sense of his work. Ballsy? No, trite and unnecessary. I would have rather he cracked the containment door, tossed the grenade to the other end of the room and leapt behind the gurney. Maybe, you know, give himself some kind of chance. There's nothing in the rest of the movie to make me think the character would just give up like a fucking pussy and accept death that way.
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Too Clever Of A Title For Myself. Guess It Never Got Off The Ground
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Saw A Book Cover A Borders & The Monsters Looked Like Vampire Zombies. Pretty Scary. And Cheaper Done With Make Up. It Must Have Been A New Cover Because It Said On The Book "Soon To Be A Motion Picture"
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was not having the ending from Matheson's short story. I still have no idea why people think that needs changing.
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...and I'm by no means a fan per se but am I the only one who got gut punched by the "Talk to me, please" scene with Smith in the video store after the dog resolution? I always thought Smith was a "passable" actor until that scene in "I, Robot" where he explained his hatred of bots over the accident where the bot weighed the odds and saved him instead of a little girl. I used to joke nonstop about shit like "Guess who's going to be the new Conan? Yup, Will Smith.", "Guess who's taking over the Doc Brown role in Back to the Future IV, yup, Will Smith. He's gonna be Marty, Biff, and Driff (Biff's single-celled progenitor) as Marty and Doc Brown (played by Will Smith) go back in time to save the very first proto-plasmic forms of life!!!" but now I realize the guy has some serious acting chops.<p>Compared to the book, it's crap story-wise but I do think they captured some single aspects of the book quite well (particularly the beginning 'man and dog' parts)...what is puzzling is why they just didn't do a direct translation of the source? Is there some inherent aspect to the story that would destroy its ability to be made into a movie? Or is there simply no screenwriters talented enough (or talented and cheap enough) to do a translation that does the source the credit it deserves?
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Could it be that simple?
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Really enjoyed the rest of the movie (well, the first two acts, before the other humans show up). The theatrical ending was just sort of a typical kill em all kind of ending (although, thank god, it left no room for a sequel. Until now.) At least the alternate ending hints at the twist in the book, that maybe our protagonist is not so much a savior of humanity as a mass murderer. But why change things at all? Book was just a lot better, more interesting. Why call it I AM LEGEND if you don't carry the storyline that explains the title? And why in gods name would you use such lame CG monsters in an otherwise perfectly respectable film?
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"I two am Legend"
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Ah, helll.. noo!
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Fuck this prequel, but bring on a digitally remastered Remo Williams theatrical release, followed by a sequel.
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yeah! and then after they finish this crap they can do a spinoff with the Rock!
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GAY!!!!
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It doesn't show the safe haven. They drive off into the country hoping that they will find sanctuary but it is not assured. It's more open ended, which takes more balls than to show everyone living happily in their safe village.<p> Also, the problem with the theatrical ending is that it tacked on this religious predestination ending that just didn't fit at ALL with the rest of the film. It was odd.
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Blade 2 + Children of Men would be a pretty kick ass idea depending on director.
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We are most amused.
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was there ever a movie that least deserved a sequel/prequel?
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...gotta assume you're talking about the book. Cuz there is no way anyone liked that video game lookin' shitfest.
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I liked I Am Legend, but I consider the alternate ending to be the "real" one
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I think I would have liked it a lot more if it had not been called I Am Legend. Honestly, beyond Will Smith and the character from the book sharing the same name the movie is nothing like the book. <p> I did enjoy the movie though, at least the first 2/3 of it. When the story is about Smith slowly losing his mind living in isolation with only his ridged routine and dog keeping him from completely losing it and the "vampires" largely being kept off screen, the story worked for me. <p> It is when the women and her kid show that the movie quickly falls apart for me, their presence deflates all of the tension built up in the first part of the movie. There was no reason to even include them in the movie other then to give Will Smith's character a heroic death(or not, depending on the ending)at the end. <p> Really you could have had the movie run it course and end the same way without including the lady and her kid, the Neville character was already heading down a path of self destruction and didn't need any help getting there. <p> So I guess what I am saying is I wouldn't mind seeing a prequel as long is it more like the first half of I Am Legend, and not the second half.
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Really Will? Do you need the money? Really? No other scripts floating around you can do? Really? I would rather see a big screen adaptation of the Fresh Prince. Aw hell naw! Will Smith should play Wonder Woman! You know he could! What cant a black man play a white woman? You racist bastards!
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Go out and buy "Last man on earth" if you want the closest adaptation of the novel.
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I AM LINO!!!!!!
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But this has bad-idea?-try-fucking-idiotic-fucking-idea etched all over it.
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Nice job, genius. You'll probably be running a studio one of these days.
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I didn't hear about that one but Richard Matheson is a true master so if he really wants to buy a grave before he's dead I'm not gonna argue with him. He did get a shitload of money when he sold them the prequel rights a while back so he might as well find interesting things to do with it.
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I can see why Merrick would consider the original ending to be the "ballsy" one. True, the theatrical ending did have the hero die, but it had him dying in a heroic sacrifice pre-destined by God to save all of humanity and be the world's greatest and most legendary hero. The original ending revealed him to have been wrong all along, had him realizing he was a mass murderer and left him as potential prey in a dangerous world where the status quo is not restored. It also never necessarily goes back on Neville's declaration earlier that there is no God.<p> So yeah, I'd go with that being clearly the more ballsy one, but more importantly it's the ending that fits the story. I don't hate the other one, but it leaves all the themes of the story hanging. From that version people didn't even understand that Neville was wrong about the vampires - many talkbackers were so convinced they were just animals that they believed Neville himself had set up the trap that caught him. I kind of liked the ambiguity but at the same time they obviously set up this thread throughout the story that pays off in the original ending so it's dumb to just forget about it in the theatrical ending.<p> And for book purists that ending also is closer to the book in meaning even though the details are completely different. In that version the title means the same thing, in the theatrical version it means he's Bob Marley's greatest hits album.<p> And now it's especially bad they didn't keep that ending, because a sequel would've had a better chance than a prequel. I still wish they'd go with my idea where it follows a different guy who turns out to be that lead vampire, and you see some of the same events from his point of view (to get Will Smith back). It would be a sidequel. Also from his point of view the vampires look more real. And he has a scene where he talks about how he fuckin HATES Shrek.
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C'mon zombie vampire people now, smile on your brother and everybody get together and try to love one another right now? What's that we are the world bullshit? The ending in the original movie is great - he's practically a dead-man walking and he goes "with his family' or what have you and goes out with a blaze of glory and also finds the cure, hence everyone is his legacy and he is the "I am legend" of the title. Sure, he just happened to have a grenade in his lab, but it had dramatic ompth. Not this zombie love fest - it's a dark story, the hero dies, that has dramatic power. As for a prequel... eh, I love the original movie, but I really don't know how it'll have any sort of dramatic impact, unless they Godfather II it and make it a sequel/prequel, then maybe that could work.
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I'm not afraid to admit it. I just can't hold back when a dog dies. Didn't help that that dog looks exactly like mine.
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Sept. 25, 2008, 11:14 p.m. CST
I don't feel anything for a person dying in a movie but for a do
by ludmir88
bad, bad, bad.
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By "everything" I mean three or four scripts. Don't get your hopes up.
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nothing else matters
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I heck, I can bitch, moan and groan about it. But in the end, i know I'll go see it on opening day.
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I don't know what's worse: the film, or all the idiots who went to see it. And now they're making a prequel...
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...devices being francis lawrence's eye and being the will smith vehicle that it is, smith IMO getting better with each dramatically driven narrative as time goes on. let hollywood do its hollywood business so long as the film looks good, with a great DP in place and a director to match. either way, i haven't read the book, but in all its Hollywood-induced goodness I personally look forward to a prequel. plus, zombie/infected theme = +100 chance to be interested. bias much...
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I read that just as song on playlist changed to Nothing Else Matters... a sign from Gods indeed...
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Matheson must be rolling his eyes as he cashes the check.
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I don't care how many Diddy or Big Willie videos you made, asshole. You suck.
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What the hell will it be? An hour of a half of Will leading a motely crew of survivors around New York whilst they are picked off one by one? Him building all the safety aspects of his house, training his dogs, gathering his weapons, starting his experiments? Will it feature some startling new twist that changes the focus of the next film? This is a very, very silly idea, and I'm someone who thought I am Legend was very good until the girl and kid turned up and the CGI fest ending came in...so my reflection on the film is good but not great...I also which someone would STICK MORE CLOSELY TO THE SOURCE MATERIAL, because it is so fucking good, especially that ending. Hey ho.
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As a fan of the book, I fully expected to hate this movie. I was afraid it was going to turn into "The Fresh Prince of Apocolyptic New York" or something. I was pleasantly suprised that, even if it was not an exact translation of the book, it did a great job of capturing the spirit of the book. Trying to do a prequal does not make an since, and smacks of greed, hoping to cash in on the unexpected success of the first. I'd rather re-watch "The Omega Man" than a prequal.
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the "alternative" ending is a little closer in that he's been wrong all along - but either way they still MISSED the fucking point! <p> he's "Legend" because he's (one of) the last of a dying breed - humans - and the vampire-things are just an evolutionary dead-end because it's all about the (virus lady? I don't remember Emma Thompson?) ones that got infected but maintained their uh... "humanity" - basically their intelligence, as opposed to the vampire-things that became mindless... zombies... <p> that awful 28 Days Later sequel ran with the idea - badly, IMO, but at least SOMEBODY got it! <p> anyway, this has all been discussed to death already - continue with the title creation!
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