The 2022 was a year full of contrasts for Will Smith, and no we aren’t talking about some fans claiming he apparently laughed at Chris Rock’s G.I. Jane joke before slapping the comedian onstage. Instead the contrast we are talking about is the reactions his two movies got in the space of 12 months.

For his magnificent portrayal of Venus and Serena Williams’s father and coach Richard Williams in King Richard, he received the Academy Award for Best Actor. But that Oscar magic failed to push his next movie Emancipation to positive heights and it failed miserably at the box office.

Will Smith and Jada Smith at the Oscars 2022
Accordingly, a lot of eyes are set on the 54-year-old as fans patiently wait to see what he’ll deliver next and how he will return to the mix.

How Will I Am Legend Star Will Smith Make His Comeback After a Quiet 2023?

Will Smith‘s first movie after this little break is set to be Bad Boys 4, which will see him reunite with Martin Lawrence in yet another cop comedy. The movie is scheduled to release in the summer of 2024. However, the acclaimed actor is also set to bring a serious tale to our screens.
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys For Life
Smith’s Peter, a slave, had to avoid cold-blooded hunters and the unforgiving swamps in his attempts to escape plantation owners in Louisiana in the drama Emancipation. But that’s not the first time, Smith’s character has had to run from monsters all alone – albeit in the other movie everything takes place in a very different setting and context.

In the 2007 sci-fi horror movie titled I Am Legend, Smith portrays Dr. Robert Neville, a scientist, who remains the only survivor of a plague. Once he realizes the immunity his blood possesses, he tries to reverse the effects of a virus by using it.

The ending of the Francis Lawrence-directed movie sees Robert sacrifice his own life to save two other survivors by attacking the Darkseekers (the Infected) with a grenade. A hope for humanity survives, as Anna and Ethan escape with a potential cure for the plague. But the scientist dies, and with that ending, it seemed the possibility of Smith ever returning to any sequel was also dead in the water.

However, the Focus star is set to reprise his role of the good scientist, leaving fans scratching their heads over how it’s possible for his character to come back from the dead.

What’s the Theory Behind Will Smith’s Character Returning to Life in I Am Legend

I Am Legend was one of the biggest hits of the year, making $585 million at the box office, as such, not many were surprised with the announcement of a sequel. However, what shocked fans was the confirmation of Smith reprising his role.
Will Smith in I Am Legend.
Now when it comes to making money, Hollywood is prepared to script any logic-defying tale. For this movie though, the producer and writer of the movie Akiva Goldsman will just pick the alternate ending of the original movie to make sense of the situation.

I Am Legend is inspired by Richard Matheson’s book of the same title. In the novel, Robert figures out the Darkseekers have emotions and is later spared by one of the vampire-like mutants. The producers even released a two-disc special edition DVD in 2008 which was more in line with the novel’s plot.

In an interview, Goldsman confirmed I Am Legend 2, which will take place decades after the 2007 movie, will be more faithful to Matheson’s book, subsequently making the return of Neville possible and logical.