I Am Legend Sequel To Star Will Smith And Michael B. Jordan

Maybe every little thing will be alright: an "I Am Legend" sequel is reportedly in the works fifteen years after the first film debuted. The news comes according to Deadline, which reports that Will Smith is set to return, with Michael B. Jordan starring alongside him.

"I Am Legend," loosely based on the 1954 novel by Richard Matheson, followed a man as he traversed post-apocalyptic Manhattan after a genetically engineered virus started turning people into vampiristic cannibals. Fans of "I Am Legend" may remember that Smith's character, Dr. Robert Neville, almost definitely died at the end of the original film, killing the virally infected vampires and himself in a gambit to protect a recently developed cure. An alternate ending, though, did see the character survive.

First reporting indicates plot details of the new "I Am Legend" project are being kept under wraps, including the title. Deadline does report that Akiva Goldsman, who penned the original film along with sci-fi favorites like the recent "Star Trek" series, will be returning to write the script. Though no director is attached, the movie will be distributed by Warner Bros. with both Jordan's and Smith's production companies on board.

"I Am Legend" was a massive success when it debuted in 2007, earning over $500 million globally. Though the movie was one of Smith's biggest box office smashes, the actor has been busy since, earning an Oscar nomination this year for his portrayal of Venus and Serena Williams' father in the movie "King Richard."

He has also had a prolific career as a producer, making films first under the banner of Overbrook Entertainment before founding the multimedia company Westbrook Inc. alongside his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Westbrook Studios is set to produce this movie, with Smith producing alongside Jon Mone and Ryan Shimazaki. Jordan will also be producing alongside Elizabeth Raposo via his company Outlier Society, which also has projects like "Creed III" and Warner Bros' "Static Shock" adaptation in development. James Lassiter is set to executive produce.

Though author Matheson wrote other novels, he never penned a sequel to "I Am Legend," meaning this story will likely be a wholly original one. A prequel movie was at one point considered, but never materialized. Fifteen years is a long time between one movie and the next, but that's about how long it took me to be able to listen to Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds" without crying over Dr. Neville's dog, so I think it was a good waiting period.

The "I Am Legend" sequel does not yet have a release date.