It seemed for a while that everyone had forgotten about I Am Legend 2 after its 2022 announcement, with no updates in sight. However, recently, a flurry of production news and promises has been proving that Will Smith is on his way to step into the post-apocalyptic New York after almost two decades. Warner Bros. has been working steadily on the sequel with screenwriter and producer Akiva Goldsman, who was also involved in the first film. However, there was no word on who would direct I Am Legend 2. Until now.

Warner Bros. has reportedly set its sights on a well-known director to take charge of the Will Smith-starring sequel. 

At the Producing Panel at San Diego Comic-Con, Akiva Goldsman, the writer and producer, made some big promises about the future of the I Am Legend franchise. Goldsman teased that “there will be some good news shortly”. Soon after the hint, the next bit of news came from Deadline, which reported that Steven Caple Jr. is a strong candidate to direct I Am Legend 2. Caple Jr., known for his work on Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, has reportedly caught Warner Bros.’s eye for the Will Smith-starring project. 

There have not been any deal papers signed yet for Caple Jr., though, and the studio is still reaching out to directors. However, seeing the Creed II director reuniting with Michael B. Jordan, who is going to both star in and produce I Am Legend 2 with Smith, would be a highlight for the sequel. In the Comic-Con discussion, Goldsman also hinted at what fans should expect from I Am Legend 2.

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Goldsman addressed the biggest question of how Robert Neville will come back alive in the sequel after he died in the first film. 

In the 2007 I Am Legend, fans saw Dr. Robert Neville, Will Smith's character, was killed off at the end of the first movie's theatrical cut. However, what many people do not know is there was also an alternate ending to the movie, which was released in 2008, on the two-disc special edition DVD, mainly because of the backlash the makers received from the depressing ending. Now, Akiva Goldsman has confirmed that the sequel will follow the alternate ending, as it is much more in line with the original Richard Matheson novels. 

"We’re sequelizing the alternative cut, where Will lives and things don’t go well for humanity," confirmed Goldsman at the Comic-Con. The producer had also hinted at this back in February, during an interview with Deadline. However, even though the confusion regarding the sequel's narrative has been sorted out, the search for a director for I Am Legend 2 is still very much wide open.

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What do you think about Steven Caple Jr. potentially taking the helm of I Am Legend 2? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!