The Last of Us showed how television series inspired by video games, or cinematic products in general, can have great results with a little effort, and it looks like that work will also influence colossals like I Am Legend. The new film’s protagonist, Will Smith, caused quite a stir last year for his “infamous” gesture at the Oscars, but finally it looks like things are starting to calm down.
After the huge success of the first film in the now distant 2007, I Am Legend 2 promises to reach similar heights to those previously climbed, with the help of the series which is garnering exceptional feedback from viewers in recent weeks, or The Last of Us.
Producer and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman has revealed several new details related to the new film in production, in which Will Smith and Michael B Jordan will also make an appearance.
How The Last of Us will affect I Am Legend 2
Speaking to Deadline editors in an interview, Goldsman reveals how the film will be set decades after the events of the first. Also in the interview, the producer claims to have a certain “obsession” with The Last of Us, and it seems that it is now one of the sources of inspiration that will help him structure the world narrated in this sequel.
“I’m obsessed with The Last of Us, where we see the world both right after the apocalypse and after 20 to 30 years have passed since then. You see the way Earth has reclaimed its territory, and it There’s something wonderful about wondering what happens when the man steps away from the role of primary occupant.
This will be particularly visible in New York. I don’t know if they’ll make it to the top of the Empire State Building, but the possibilities are endless.”
In The Last of Us story, we can see how the plot revolves around a sudden infection caused by fungi that affect people’s brains, turning them into creatures similar to what are commonly known as zombies ( although this term has been “banned” in the series).
After showing the start of the pandemic, the series shows viewers a world in the 20 years since that event, where society has found itself having to adjust to the collapse caused by it all.
In I Am Legend, we instead see the story of Robert Nevil, a military virologist and last human survivor, who tries to find a cure for the disease using his blood. In the alternate ending, the character played by Will Smith remains alive, and that’s what lays the groundwork for the sequel in the works.
From there, we can understand how The Last of Us could provide help on how to make the story of the sequel: even in I Am Legend 2 we will see a world returned to nature, and the man who finds himself more and more displaced.