Since the original film was released in 2007, there have been talks about creating a second installment of I Am Legend.  This is now becoming a reality, as Warner Bros. secured producer Akiva Goldsman and Overbrook Entertainment to help create the second movie. However, Warner Brothers is still trying to convince Will Smith to reprise his role.  Rumor has it the film will not be a prequel, despite some talk in the past few years.

Deadline reports that Will Smith won’t make any promises until the entire script is finished, and it’s unclear whether or not director Francis Lawrence will return too.

The intention is for Will Smith to reprise his role as scientist Robert Neville, who was the last man on earth doing battle with a mutated mob in New York City after an apocalyptic man-made virus wiped out the population. A deal was made with Arash Amel to write the script. The film is not being called a prequel, which had been rumored for the past few years. But clearly Warner Bros sees more room to roam on a film that grossed $584 million worldwide. The original film is based on the novel by Richard Matheson.

Smith won’t commit until the script is ready and I haven’t heard yet where I Am Legend director Francis Lawrence stands on the whole thing. The other quandary is this: if it isn’t a prequel, how to get past Smith’s character’s demise at the first film’s end? These of course are semantics in the tent pole game.

Do you think a second installment, most likely a sequel, will be as good as the original? Would you see the film if Will Smith doesn’t star?