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I Am Legend 2 has been in the works for some time, and at this point, it’s known that it’ll retcon the original film’s ending. As a result, Will Smith will be back, and he’ll collaborate with new co-star Michael B. Jordan. Of course, fans may have more questions beyond the impact of that alternate ending for Smith’s Robert Neville. Now, writer Akiva Goldsman is getting real about a plot point the new film will avoid, and I’m so glad!
In the intense post-apocalyptic flick, one of the most tragic moments involved Dr. Robert Neville’s adoption-worthy dog, Sam. After the German Shepard got bitten by a Darkseeker, the virologist had no choice but to commit a mercy killing once he saw his dog was transforming. Something like that won’t be happening again in the sequel, as writer Akiva Goldsman revealed to Radio Times:
I fear that I would not survive the backlash should we kill another dog. I’d like to point out that between the opening shot and the next shot, we killed almost everybody on the planet. That was OK. You kill one dog – I’ve never had more walkouts during test screenings.
What also made that original death heartbreaking was how Sam originally belonged to Dr. Neville’s daughter, who gave the dog to her dad to protect him before she and her mom died. Sam wasn’t just Dr. Neville’s dog, but the only connection he had left to his daughter.
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Overall, this reaction from audiences to this tragic moment is an example of how much people love dogs. And I can sympathize with test-screening audiences, as I can never watch a dog die on screen.
Now, I’m starting to wonder if this means Dr. Neville will get a new dog in the sequel, or if no canine deaths means there won’t be a dog in the new movie at all. I guess only time will tell.
Either way, it’s a breath of fresh air to know that we won’t witness any canine deaths in the sequel. However, Goldsman got real about how getting the upcoming sequel up and running hasn’t been a cakewalk:
I have run up against a series of obstacles that I refuse to allow to defeat me. That is the truth of that one. We’re pressing on. We’re trying. We’re doing everything we can to get it made.
Back in 2022, Goldsman said they were in the brainstorming stage for I Am Legend 2. In 2023, Smith confirmed that he was speaking with Michael B. Jordan about the film. Then, a few years later, in 2025, it was revealed that Jordan would be playing the head of a new settlement. Now, we know a dog won’t die, but we’re still waiting on many details about when exactly we’ll see the film. But hey, slow and steady can allow a movie time to become a masterpiece.
I’ve got to say it’s an incredible relief that we won’t have to see another dog die in I Am Legend 2, as it was hard enough the first time. Hopefully, in the sequel, Dr. Neville will get a new canine partner that’ll help make the new dystopian follow-up all the more memorable.