Official I Am Legend Thread

[TwilightPro101]

God knows on what kind of direction their trying on this one.

 

[LastSunrise1981]

I love the book and everything, but the ending is very depressing and it definitely leaves you feeling even more sorry for Neville.

But seriously, they should use the ending of the book. My guess is they'll use that as an alternate ending for the DVD and use the one that will leave it open for a sequel.

I hope they add Cortman into the story and actually show Neville literally begin to lose his mind and become a monster to the vampires.

 

[TwilightPro101]

I love the book and everything, but the ending is very depressing and it definitely leaves you feeling even more sorry for Neville.

But seriously, they should use the ending of the book. My guess is they'll use that as an alternate ending for the DVD and use the one that will leave it open for a sequel.

I hope they add Cortman into the story and actually show Neville literally begin to lose his mind and become a monster to the vampires.

Here's to that!

 

[Cinemaman]

Protosevich Pitches I Am Legend Sequel

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that original I Am Legend screenwriter Mark Protosevich has already pitched Warner Bros. on a sequel, though no deal has yet been finalized. The Will Smith action-thriller, directed by Francis Lawrence, hits theaters on December 14.

It has been more than a decade since Protosevich wrote an adaptation of Richard Matheson's classic 1954 horror/sci-fi novel about the last man alive after a biological war. Writers were occasionally hired to work on it and over the years, Protosevich was hired four different times to tweak the script, until writer-producer Akiva Goldsman took on the project in 2005 and moved the action from L.A. to New York City.

The newspaper says there is no word yet on how Protosevich plans to extend the story of lone military scientist Robert Neville's struggle to survive against a mutant populace.

WB will turn into new Fox, if they don't deny sequel thing

 

[ToddIsDead]

Okay, so I just read Mark Protosevich's I Am Legend script (If you want a link, shoot me a pm, although you could probably find it through google). I really, really, really enjoyed it, even though it was completely different from the book. It proved, like The Omega Man did 36 years before, that you can adapt the story while completely changing it around but still making it and extremely enjoyable experience. I Am Legend, as a story, is very moldable. You can take the basic premise, plot points, and characters, and use that to formulate any kind of story.

That's not to say that the script didn't have its faults. [blackout]The take on the vampires, or hemocytes as they're called in the script, is actually quite refreshing, even if it's completely different from the vamps in the novella. The way that they were made into a more intelligent, and formidable force of enemies elevated the action to a much higher level than in the book. Protosevich basically combined the vampires and the living infected of the book. Does it work in the context of the script? Absolutely. Would I have still preferred the vampires living infected of the book? Absolutely.[/blackout]

[blackout]Anna is basically the new version of Ruth, but because of how the vampires are in the script, obviously the twist with the character is different. Again, it works within the context of the script, but the emotional depth and impact pales in comparison to the book.[/blackout]

But I digress; this post wasn't meant to be a review of Protosevich's script. I know that the script that they filmed is a rewritten version of Protosevich's script, but does anyone know how much Akiva changed from the original script? [blackout]Obviously, he moved the story from San Francisco to Manhattan and he changed Neville's profession from history professor to military scientist. I know they changed Neville's wife's name from Ellen to Ginny and that the evacuation and Brooklyn bridge explosion are brand new. It's been said that the hemocytes have been changed from extremely intelligent and cultured to more animalistic and feral, which would indicate that the entire third act has been completely revamped, since that completely relies on the hemocyte's intelligence and sense of community. I'm sure there's more that just isn't coming to mind at the moment. Also, Cortman has seemed to have completely vanished, which is maybe the biggest blow to this production's credibility. Cortman is a vital part of I Am Legend, and his absence indicates a completely different dynamic.[/blackout]

[blackout]Some stuff does seem to have stayed the same though. Anna and Ethan have been kept from Protosevich's script, which would indicate that the second act, and at least some of the third, is most likely intact. Neville's range rover and sports car are still there. As well as the large part that the dog plays in the script. And thanks to the news that Protosevich has pitched a sequel to WB, we can safely assume that the ending is the same, or at least similar. Aside from that stuff, I'm just not sure what's the same and what's been changed.[/blackout]

I'm hoping that a good deal of the script is the same. If anything was changed, I hope it was only to make it more like the book, and not to water it down. [blackout]I would love if the scene where Neville got caught in his own snare trap was kept, since that was my favorite scene. Also, I'd like to see the sniper scene, but that seems unlikely give the direction that they're apparently taking with the creatures in the movie.[/blackout]

So is there anyone a little more in the know than I am about this? Anyone have any other ideas about what was changed?

 

[Abaddon]

ugggh.

 

[Hunter Rider]

[blackout]I would love if the scene where Neville got caught in his own snare trap was kept, since that was my favorite scene. Also, I'd like to see the sniper scene, but that seems unlikely give the direction that they're apparently taking with the creatures in the movie.[/blackout]

Can't help you with the rest but i have read that scene exert and i agree it would be awesome if it made the movie, it had it all IMO.

 

[LastSunrise1981]

Spoiler

How does the script end? Remember in the book Ruth gives him the suicide pills in order to escape his execution. So do they stay true to the ending of the book by having Neville die?

Also, is there a Ben Cortman? Seriously, the classic lines "COME OUT NEVILLE!" have to be uttered at some point. I don't mean just some random vampire either, I mean someone who was a friend of Neville and someone who is so annoying that Neville nearly loses his mind because of him.

Edit: Nevermind, just read the Cortman stuff. I'm very disappointed they didn't include him at all in the film.

After reading the spoilers I'm not liking the changes so much. I wouldn't mind a few changes here or there, but the neglect of Cortman, Virginia, and changing of the setting really takes away from the atmosphere in my opinion, you know? In the book there seemed to be more of a Resident Evil 4 vibe. What I mean by that is the sense and feeling of being trapped and having no escape.

I also would love to see them delve into the concept of being the last man on Earth and how the feeling of isolation, loneliness, and the constant fighting really ruins the mindset of Neville.

 

[ToddIsDead]

Spoiler

How does the script end? Remember in the book Ruth gives him the suicide pills in order to escape his execution. So do they stay true to the ending of the book by having Neville die?

Also, is there a Ben Cortman? Seriously, the classic lines "COME OUT NEVILLE!" have to be uttered at some point. I don't mean just some random vampire either, I mean someone who was a friend of Neville and someone who is so annoying that Neville nearly loses his mind because of him.

Spoiler

Well, in the script that I've read, which is like ten years old and has been rewritten since, Neville doesn't die. It's hard to explain, because I'd have to explain the last 2/3 of the movie, but basically, Neville and a small group of humans get away in a tug-boat in the Pacific ocean. I know out of context it sounds completely stupid and seems like a slap in the face to Matheson, but it works better when taken as a whole. The script is quite good, but it's a lot different then the book. If you don't go in hoping for a straight forward adaptation and instead go in with an open mind and expect a pretty brutal and unrelenting action/horror movie, you'll be a lot happier.

As for Cortman, he's in the original script, but I'm fairly certain that he was eliminated in the shooting draft. In the original script though, he didn't know Neville previously like in the book, but he was the leader of the vampires and Neville's nemesis.

All of that is subject to change, since I haven't read Akiva Goldsman's rewrite, but I am aware of some one who has, and I'm going to try to talk to him to see if I can get some details and/or the actual script.

I think it should be said though that Richard Matheson's son was at Comic-Con for the I Am Legend panel and he said that Richard has seen the movie and liked it, so that might help to put some of your minds' to rest.

 

[xwolverine2]

this movie has been pretty quiet .....

 

[Abaddon]

[blackout]so no chance of the living-infected being included?[/blackout]

 

[ToddIsDead]

[blackout]so no chance of the living-infected being included?[/blackout]

[blackout]If they've kept close to Protosevich's original script, then no.[/blackout] Of course, I still don't know all of the changes that Akiva has made. Like I said, I know of somebody who has read the final script, or at least claims to have, and I'm going to try to seek him out.

 

[LastSunrise1981]

Spoiler

Well, in the script that I've read, which is like ten years old and has been rewritten since, Neville doesn't die. It's hard to explain, because I'd have to explain the last 2/3 of the movie, but basically, Neville and a small group of humans get away in a tug-boat in the Pacific ocean. I know out of context it sounds completely stupid and seems like a slap in the face to Matheson, but it works better when taken as a whole. The script is quite good, but it's a lot different then the book. If you don't go in hoping for a straight forward adaptation and instead go in with an open mind and expect a pretty brutal and unrelenting action/horror movie, you'll be a lot happier.

As for Cortman, he's in the original script, but I'm fairly certain that he was eliminated in the shooting draft. In the original script though, he didn't know Neville previously like in the book, but he was the leader of the vampires and Neville's nemesis.

All of that is subject to change, since I haven't read Akiva Goldsman's rewrite, but I am aware of some one who has, and I'm going to try to talk to him to see if I can get some details and/or the actual script.

I think it should be said though that Richard Matheson's son was at Comic-Con for the I Am Legend panel and he said that Richard has seen the movie and liked it, so that might help to put some of your minds' to rest.

I don't expect Matheson or his son to say anything bad about the movie though.

But I will still give the movie a chance though. Reading about the deviations from the book makes my anticipation for it a bit smaller.

 

[Warhammer]

So I was watching The Last Man on Earth on TMC, and I liked it.

 

[ToddIsDead]

I don't expect Matheson or his son to say anything bad about the movie though.

Matheson disowned both of the previous adaptations, so I think that says something. He even wrote The Last Man on Earth but he took his name off because he thought it was garbage. He absolutely hated The Omega Man.

And Warhammer, I LOVE The Last Man on Earth.

 

[Warhammer]

I wished the tone was a tad different, but other than that, it was prety good.

 

[Bastila]

So I was watching The Last Man on Earth on TMC, and I liked it.

I thought it was called Omega man or something.

 

[ToddIsDead]

Those are two different movies. Both adaptations of I Am Legend though. Vincent Price starred in The Last Man on Earth and Charlton Heston starred in The Omega Man.

 

[Abaddon]

Matheson disowned both of the previous adaptations, so I think that says something. He even wrote The Last Man on Earth but he took his name off because he thought it was garbage. He absolutely hated The Omega Man.

And Warhammer, I LOVE The Last Man on Earth.

I thought he only hated the Omega Man.

 

[L0ngsh0t]

this movie has been pretty quiet .....

it's also like five months away from opening

 

[ToddIsDead]

I thought he only hated the Omega Man.

No, he was so dissatisfied with it that he created the pseudonym "Logan Swanson" so people wouldn't know that he wrote it.

 

[Abaddon]

eh, I was watching part of it last night. It seemed pretty faithful to me. I'll have to finish watching it later.

 

[xwolverine2]

it's also like five months away from opening

well at least they've shown a teaser....unlike AVP2

 

[Hunter Rider]

 

[ToddIsDead]

Very nice. Anyone have any ideas on when we'll get a new poster or trailer? I'm sure they'll put out at least one more trailer and poster before December.