A very divisive adaptation of one of the greatest sci-fi novels of all time is defying the haters to become a streaming success in 2026. It’s surprisingly rare for a classic sci-fi book to receive a faithful adaptation. Dune will probably never get a wholly loyal adaptation (sorry, Denis Villeneuve, you tried), Blade Runner shares very little with Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (at least Ridley Scott had the decency to change the title), and Apple TV’s Foundation bravely attempted to adapt Isaac Asimov’s unadaptable trilogy and soon discovered there were major cracks in the foundations. But in 2007, one of the most faithful sci-fi movies was released. While it’s nothing close to the level of the book, it’s still a decent movie. So no wonder it’s still finding success on streaming.
Directed by Francis Lawrence and starring the likes of Will Smith, Alice Braga, Sali Richardson, and Darrell Foster, I Am Legend is far from the first movie adaptation of Richard Matheson’s seminal novel. The post-apocalyptic action thriller is currently streaming on AMC+, and like the virus in the film, it’s spreading like wildfire across subscribers’ devices. I Am Legend is currently the eighth most popular movie on AMC+. The film was added to the platform at the start of May, and its recent success has proven that a sequel is needed now more than ever.
Lawrence’s interpretation (adaptation is too strong a word) of I Am Legend starred Will Smith as Dr. Robert Neville, the last surviving human on Earth after a virus has wiped out humanity, turning them into nocturnal zombies. Seemingly immune, Dr. Neville spends his days trying to develop a cure. But when he learns that he’s not the only survivor, his mission becomes ever more critical. I Am Legend took a very introspective, isolatory novel and completely transformed it into an action-packed horror movie. But horror and action go well together, and I Am Legend was a major success.
‘I Am Legend 2’ is Finally Happening
It may have done the book a disservice, but I Am Legend was still a major success, grossing over $585 million worldwide. So, it’s surprising that a sequel has taken this long to produce. After 19 years, I Am Legend 2 has finally found its director in Man on Fire‘s Steven Caple Jr. Michael B. Jordan is set to star in the film, which will take place years after the original. Plot details remain scarce, but we know that Jordan will not be playing Will Smith’s son in the movie.
‘I Am Legend’ Will Probably Never Get a Faithful Adaptation
I Am Legend is a fairly generic zombie horror film, which is only saved by its alternate ending. But Richard Matheson’s novel completely redefined the vampire genre (yep, we said vampires). In the book, Dr. Robert Neville is the last survivor when a vampiric plague takes over the Earth. In the book, the vampires can speak, and they come to his barricaded house every night to try to lure him out. While trying to work on a cure, Robert Neville slowly deduces the cause of the virus, and the book acts as an existential examination of vampires and humanity, while also observing Neville’s psyche in his isolation. Yes, there is a dog in the novel, but its role is nowhere near as big as in the film. As amazing as it would be to see a faithful adaptation of the book, it’s one of those stories that only really works in prose. It would take a bold director, working under a studio like A24, to really embrace the book’s style, and after all that, it would probably flop at the box office.
- Release Date
-
December 12, 2007
- Runtime
-
101 minutes
- Director
-
Francis Lawrence