Just months after the release of I Am Legend in December 2007, talks of another installment began to float around. Discussions about a prequel came up in 2008, but then the development went nowhere and the idea was ditched altogether. The consideration for a sequel has been around since 2012 and finally, some actual development took off a decade later. All the buzz surrounding the much-awaited second film makes for a strong reminder of the first. And on that note, it might be a good time to give the original cast of I Am Legend a revisit.
Will Smith as Dr Robert Neville
One of the biggest shining stars in I Am Legend was Will Smith, who portrayed Dr Robert Neville, a scientist and the only living human in New York City in the aftermath of a worldwide vampirism epidemic.
Smith began his acting career in an episode of ABC After School Special as Hawker. His first film role was in Where the Day Takes You, released in 1992, as Manny. A few major roles came along in the following years, including as Paul in Six Degrees of Separation (1993) and as Mike Lowrey in Bad Boys (1995). However, it was his appearance in Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day (1996) as Steven Hiller that established Smith as a prime name in Hollywood. Nearly every year since then, Smith has been in numerous well-known movies including but not limited to Men In Black (1997), Ali (2001), Shark Tale (2004), and I Am Legend.
Following his performance in I Am Legend, he reprised his role as Agent J in MIB3 (2012). He starred in After Earth (2013) alongside his son, Jaden, but the film was almost universally regarded as a disappointing feature. Smith himself said the film was a painful failure. When the offer came to do a sequel for Independence Day, he declined and instead took the role of Deadshot in Suicide Squad (2016), a big Box Office success that received mixed critical reviews. Smith portrayed The Genie in the live-action adaptation of Aladdin (2019).
A true highlight in his decades of acting came in 2021 with King Richard. For his performance as Richard Williams, he received the Academy Award and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. The next big project for Smith is Pole to Pole, a National Geographic series. He is also set to come back for the sequel to I Am Legend.
Alice Braga as Anna
In the critically acclaimed City of God (2002), Alice Braga had her breakthrough role as Angelica. For her performance, she received the Cinema Brazil Grand Prize nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She also appeared in such South American films as Lower City (2005) and Only God Knows (2006). Braga’s first English-language film was Journey to the End of Night (2006), an independent crime thriller in which she portrayed Monique. Wider recognition came with her role as Anna in I Am Legend.
Braga was cast in two 2010 films, including Beth in Repo Men and Isabelle in Predators. The 2013 sci-fi movie Elysium featured her as Frey Santiago. Braga has been busy since her days in I Am Legend; her other film credits include The Duel (2016), The Shack (2017), The New Mutants (2020), and The Suicide Squad (2021). She has at least two upcoming movies currently in post-production.
Charlie Tahan as Ethan
I Am Legend proved to be a huge stepping stone for the young actor, Charlie Tahan. It did not take long before he made more appearances on small and big screens. He was cast as Tom Taylor in Burning Bright (2010) and as Sam St. Cloud in the supernatural drama Charlie St. Cloud (2010). In Disney’s stop-motion horror comedy Frankenweenie (2012), he was the voice of Victor Frankenstein. From 2017 to 2022, Tahan portrayed Wyatt Langmore in Netflix original Ozark.
Emma Thompson as Dr Alice Krippin
While having his breakfast at home, Neville watched a recorded TV show where Dr Alice Krippin mentioned that an experimental drug could be the cure for cancer. Little did she know the drug would start a global vampirism outbreak. Portraying Dr Krippin was none other than Emma Thompson. The cast of I Am Legend might be small, but her presence made a huge impact. Largely regarded as one of the world’s finest actresses, she had a minor role in the film and therefore was uncredited.
The little screentime does not diminish her charm at all. Throughout her long and impressive career, Emma Thompson has received numerous accolades including two Oscars, two Golden Globe Awards, an Emmy Award, and three BAFTA Awards. Among her recent projects was the comedy-drama What’s Love Got to Do With It? scheduled for release in the United Kingdom in late February 2023.
Salli Richardson as Zoe Neville
Best known for her role as Angela in A Low Down Dirty Shame (1994) and as Dr Alison Blake in Eureka (2006 – 2012) TV series, Salli Richardson was also in I Am Legend as Zoe Neville, wife of Robert Neville. She had a leading role in several independent films, such as Pastor Brown (2009), Black Dynamite (2009), and I Will Follow (2010). Richardson has been a TV director since the 2010s.
Dash Mihok as Alpha Male Darkseeker
It was difficult to see if the actor behind the scary makeup of the Alpha Male Darkseeker actually was Dash Mihok. Long before I Am Legend was made, Mihok appeared as supporting characters in films like Romeo + Juliet (1996) as Benvolio Montague and The Day After Tomorrow (2006) as Jason Evans. He is best known for portraying Bunchy in the Ray Donovan series and its subsequent feature film.
Willow Smith as Marley Neville
Will Smith’s daughter, Willow, was featured in I Am Legend as Robert Neville’s daughter, Marley. The then little girl didn’t have much screen time and dialogue, but her name kept coming up throughout the film partly because his father liked Bob Marley’s music. Willow also appeared in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008).
Acting doesn’t seem to be her true passion as more recently she focuses on a musical career. Her debut album, Ardipithecus, came out in 2015 and was certified double platinum. In 2021, Willow released her fourth album titled Lately I Feel Everything of which the Transparent Soul single was certified gold in the United States.
We think all the above-mentioned cast members could return if they made a sequel to I Am Legend. We don’t know what happened to them except for the mom and her son who made it to the safe place in Vermont. Would you like to see a well-done sequel? Would you like to see the previous cast back in action against the vampire problem?
Let us know. We’d love to hear from you.
Other things you might want to know about:
Trivia about the movie “I Am Legend”
According to IMDb here are some interesting things about I am Legend.
- Will Smith loved the dog, Abbey, so much that he wanted to adopt her. The dog’s trainer would not give her up.
- Will Smith talked to former prisoners to find out what it was like to be totally alone. They told him the key to survival is to stick to a strict schedule.
- New Yorkers did not appreciate the closing of New York City to make this movie.
- All the paintings in Dr Neville’s house were on loan from the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
- The Center for Disease Control taught Will Smith how to use all the equipment in the lab correctly.
- Some of the mannequins in the video store were played by real people. If you look closely you can see them move their heads very slightly.
- Plants were transported from Florida to make the streets look like weeds had overtaken them.
- When Sam and several “infected” dogs get into a fight, a shot of Sam was filmed ahead of time. The fight was then computer generated.
- It took about 300 people 14 months to create all the computer-generated creatures.
Go to IMDb to find other trivia about I Am Legend.
What are some quotes from “I Am Legend?”
According to quotes.net here are some quotes from the movie.
- My name is Robert Neville. I am a survivor living in New York City. I am broadcasting on all AM frequencies. I will be at the South Street Seaport every day at midday when the sun is highest in the sky. If you are out there…if anyone is out there…I can provide food, I can provide shelter, I can provide security. If there’s anybody out there…anybody…please. You are not alone.
- This is Ground Zero. This is my site. I can still fix this. —Robert Neville
- I promised my friend I would say hello to you today. Hello. Hello. Please say hello to me. {Crying}Please say hello to me. —Robert Neville is completely alone
- Neville: {while watching a video of Shrek, softly recites all of the dialogue of an entire scene south as the lines are spoken on TV. Anna and Ethan stared at him.} I like Shrek.
- Anna: You’re not so good with people anymore, are you?
- {Anna looks at the pictures of the Darkseekers Neville has experimented on}
Anna: Did they all die?
Neville: Yes.
Anna: My God.
Neville: God didn’t do this. We did.
Go to quotes.net for more quotes from the movie.
Is the dog that played Sam in I Am Legend still alive today?
According to storiesatworldsend.com the German Shepherd that played Sam is named Abbey. She is enjoying her retirement days with her own family in California. Abbey was 3 years old when she was in the movie with Will Smith. She had hardly had any training. But it only took 3 weeks for Abbey to be ready to play Samantha.
She is now 18 years old and lives with Steve Barrens and his family. She enjoys her life every day.
