Michael B. Jordan’s I Am Legend 2 Role Just Became Even More Exciting Thanks To A Creepy Detail

New information about Michael B. Jordan’s I Am Legend 2 role makes it even more likely that the upcoming movie is borrowing an eerie detail from the original book. While information about the upcoming I Am Legend sequel is limited, it has long been public knowledge that Will Smith would be returning to play Robert Neville. This was made possible by the decision to base the new movie on the 2007 movie’s alternate ending, which saw Smith’s Neville survive. To make this all the more exciting, Jordan’s name was added to the cast list, and his character could be connected to the I Am Legend book.

2007’s I Am Legend was based on the book of the same name by Richard Matheson, published in 1954. The movie’s theatrical cut, which saw Neville blow himself up to give his companions time to escape, is absolutely nothing like the original book. However, the alternative ending is a bit closer to Mattheson’s story since it sees Neville realize that the Darkseekers are capable of love and community. I Am Legend 2 will follow this version of events, and a tease from Smith could mean that another aspect of 1954’s I Am Legend will make it to the screen.

Will Smith Says That Michael B. Jordan Will Be The Leader Of A New Settlement In I Am Legend 2

There’s New Clarity About His Mysterious Character


Michael B. Jordan sitting down in Sinners

Ever since it was announced that Jordan would be taking a primary role in I Am Legend 2, there has been a great deal of speculation regarding who his character would be. A popular theory was that Jordan’s character would be Smith’s on-screen son, but the original I Am Legend actor sH๏τ this down. He revealed that, instead, “Jordan’s character currently is the head of a new settlement.” At first glance, it could be ᴀssumed that this settlement would be the one Alice Braga’s Anna was trying to reach in Vermont. However, Smith clarified that Jordan’s settlement is in Connecticut.

Since this is a “new” settlement, the story here could be just about anything. It’s evident that Neville will have traveled from New York to Connecticut at one point or another between I Am Legend and I Am Legend 2, but precisely why is challenging to say. It’s possible that Neville is looking for people to hear him out about his alternate-ending revelation that the Dark Seekers are capable of love, and Jordan’s character could be a friend or enemy in this regard. However, it’s also possible that this will be an eerie settlement featured in the I Am Legend book.

I Am Legend 2’s Darkseekers May Have Become More Sophisticated


 The Alpha Male (Dash Mihok) Darkseeker holds the Alpha Female (Joanna Numata) in the alternate ending of I Am Legend.

In Matheson’s I Am Legend book, Neville was targeted by a group of Darkseekers (though they weren’t called this in the book) because he had been capturing their kind to experiment to find a cure. This resulted in dozens of deaths, but Neville didn’t think much of this since he considered them monsters. To put a stop to it, these beings kidnapped Neville and held him captive in their own settlement. The vampires ultimately decided that Neville would be put to death for his crimes. At the end of the I Am Legend book, Neville accepted his death, realizing the vampires were the new dominant species and he was the monster in their eyes.

Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman has expressed a desire to return to the themes of the I Am Legend book with this sequel. This, combined with Smith’s tidbit about Jordan’s character being the head of a settlement, could be a hint that the community of monsters from Matheson’s works will be brought to the screen. Jordan’s character may be the Darkseeker leader of a settlement of such monsters in Connecticut. These would be a more organized, sophisticated version of the Darkseekers than what was seen in I Am Legend, but even this makes perfect sense with the original story.

Why I Am Legend 2 Should Restore The Original Books’ Ending

The Original Story Reflected A More Complex Meaning

I Am Legend‘s theatrical cut was a fair success, but it didn’t align much with the original book. The whole point of Matheson’s story was that Robert Neville had become a legend because he was no longer a member of Earth’s dominant species. He was the last of the extinct humans, and the time had come for him to die and leave this new society of beings to take over. The alternate ending of I Am Legend brushed the surface of this, but the full meaning of the original book has yet to be explored on screen.

Though we can certainly look forward to Jordan’s performance one way or another, this would be a perfectly exciting and creepy twist for I Am Legend 2.

If I Am Legend 2 makes Jordan’s character the leader of a Darkseeker settlement, it would be a sign that the significant themes of Matheson’s book ending would be restored. Moreover, it would allow the new movie to take a deeper and darker look at who these beings are. Robert Neville can grapple with the question of is really a monster, the infected creatures, or himself. Though we can certainly look forward to Jordan’s performance one way or another, this would be a perfectly exciting and creepy twist for I Am Legend 2.

Related Posts

Nicholas Hoult Addresses Why Lex Luthor Hates Superman So Much In The DCU

Nicholas Hoult Addresses Why Lex Luthor Hates Superman So Much In The DCU

Superman actor Nicholas Hoult unpacks why the DC hero rubs Lex Luthor the wrong way. Over the last 85 years, Lex has shared a legendary rivalry with…

Scarlett Johansson Achieves Major Box Office Milestone With Jurᴀssic World Rebirth’s 8M Opening

Scarlett Johansson Achieves Major Box Office Milestone With Jurᴀssic World Rebirth’s $318M Opening

Scarlett Johansson has reached a new box office peak thanks to Jurᴀssic World Rebirth‘s global opening weekend earnings. The seventh installment in the Jurᴀssic Park franchise introduces…

Jurᴀssic World’s Dinosaur Mating Scene Was More Graphic In Original Script

Jurᴀssic World’s Dinosaur Mating Scene Was More Graphic In Original Script

Jurᴀssic World Rebirth writer David Koepp explains how one scene took a more explicit turn in the original script. Rebirth is the latest attempt at rebooting the…

James Gunn’s DCU Update Hints At David Corenswet’s Superman Future Appearance

James Gunn’s DCU Update Hints At David Corenswet’s Superman Future Appearance

As Superman is about to arrive in theaters, James Gunn already has more plans in store for the Man of Steel in the DC Universe. After years…

How Powerful Is Sentry In The MCU Compared To DC’s Superman?

How Powerful Is Sentry In The MCU Compared To DC’s Superman?

Marvel Studios has finally adapted Sentry, who is often dubbed the MCU’s Superman, into live-action, but whether the character is as powerful as the Man of Steel…

New The Fantastic Four: First Steps Clip Gives Glimpse Into Dinner With Marvel’s First Family

New The Fantastic Four: First Steps Clip Gives Glimpse Into Dinner With Marvel’s First Family

A new clip from The Fantastic Four: First Steps outlines dinner time with Marvel’s First Family. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the final Marvel movie of…