ⓘ Details

Movie TitleI Am Legend

Release DateDecember 14, 2007

TaglineThe last man on Earth is not alone.

Runtime101 minutes

DirectorFrancis Lawrence

Screenplay Written ByMark Protosevich & Akiva Goldsman

Based OnRichard Matheson’s 1954 novel I Am Legend; the film also credits the 1971 film The Omega Man

Is It a Remake?Not a straight remake. It is a new adaptation of Matheson’s novel, while also carrying source credit connected to The Omega Man.

BudgetApproximately $150 million

Box OfficeApprox. $256.4 million domestic / Approx. $585.4 million worldwide

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👥 Main Cast

Will SmithRobert Neville

Alice BragaAnna

Dash MihokAlpha Male

Charlie TahanEthan

Salli Richardson-WhitfieldZoe Neville

Willow SmithMarley Neville

AbbeySamantha / Sam

KonaSamantha / Sam

Darrell FosterMike

April GraceTV Personality

Emma ThompsonDr. Alice Krippin

Joanna NumataAlpha Female

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🏆 Awards

⭐ Saturn Award Winner — Best Actor: Will Smith

⭐ Saturn Award Nominee — Best Science Fiction Film

⭐ MTV Movie Awards Winner — Best Male Performance: Will Smith

⭐ Screen Actors Guild Awards Nominee — Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

⭐ Visual Effects Society Awards — Four nominations, including visual effects and animated character work

⭐ NAACP Image Awards Nominee — Outstanding Motion Picture

⭐ Satellite Awards Nominee — Best Sound

⭐ No Academy Award, Golden Globe, or BAFTA nominations were verified for the film.

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📖 Short Plot Summary

Years after a genetically engineered cure for cancer mutates into a global plague, military scientist Robert Neville appears to be the last healthy human left in New York City. By day, he hunts for supplies, broadcasts for survivors, and searches for a cure using his own immune blood. By night, he barricades himself inside his home while infected, light-sensitive Darkseekers rule the city. With only his dog Sam for company, Neville’s routine begins to crack as the infected evolve, his loneliness deepens, and the possibility of saving humanity becomes increasingly desperate.

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❝ Key Quotes

“My name is Robert Neville.” — Robert Neville

“I can help. I can save you.” — Robert Neville

“God didn’t do this. We did.” — Robert Neville

“Please say hello to me.” — Robert Neville

“The last man on Earth is not alone.” — Tagline

“Light up the darkness.” — Anna / Bob Marley theme

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💡 Trivia

Director

I Am Legend was directed by Francis Lawrence.
The screenplay was written by Mark Protosevich and Akiva Goldsman.
Akiva Goldsman also served as one of the film’s producers, along with James Lassiter, David Heyman, and Neal H. Moritz.
The film moves Richard Matheson’s original Los Angeles-set story to New York City, using the impossible emptiness of Manhattan as a major visual hook.
Francis Lawrence pushed for extensive location shooting in New York to make the abandoned-city imagery feel more grounded.

Cast / Casting

Will Smith carries most of the film as Robert Neville, often acting opposite no human co-stars for long stretches.
Alice Braga plays Anna, one of the survivors who eventually reaches Neville.
Charlie Tahan plays Ethan, the boy traveling with Anna.
Willow Smith appears as Marley Neville, Robert’s daughter, in flashback scenes.
Abbey and Kona shared the role of Samantha, Neville’s German shepherd companion.
Emma Thompson appears briefly as Dr. Alice Krippin, whose cancer-cure breakthrough leads to the global disaster.

Soundtrack / Score

The score was composed by James Newton Howard.
The official soundtrack album was released by Varèse Sarabande in January 2008.
The film uses long stretches of quiet, letting the abandoned city and Neville’s isolation carry the tension.
Bob Marley’s music is central to Neville’s character, with songs including “Three Little Birds,” “Redemption Song,” “Buffalo Soldier,” and “Stir It Up.”
The repeated Bob Marley idea of “light up the darkness” becomes a major emotional and thematic thread in the film.

Location

The story is set in a post-apocalyptic New York City.
Filming took place heavily on location in New York, including areas around Washington Square Park, Greenwich Village, Tribeca, the Intrepid, and the Brooklyn Bridge.
The Marcy Avenue Armory in Williamsburg was used for the interior of Neville’s home.
The Brooklyn Bridge evacuation sequence was one of the film’s largest location set pieces.
Production imported weeds and dressed city streets to make Manhattan look abandoned, overgrown, and reclaimed by nature.

Behind-The-Scenes

The film is one of several adaptations connected to Richard Matheson’s novel, following earlier versions such as The Last Man on Earth and The Omega Man.
Box Office Mojo lists the film’s domestic opening weekend at $77,211,321.
The film’s opening weekend set a major December box-office mark at the time.
The reported production budget was approximately $150 million.
The film grossed approximately $256.4 million domestically and approximately $585.4 million worldwide.
An alternate ending was later released, and many fans still debate whether it better reflects the themes of Matheson’s original novel.

Nostalgia

I Am Legend became one of the defining late-2000s images of blockbuster loneliness: Will Smith, a dog, and an empty Manhattan.
The movie arrived during a wave of post-apocalyptic and infection-based stories, but its abandoned New York visuals helped it stand apart.
Sam the dog became one of the film’s biggest emotional anchors and one of the reasons viewers still remember the movie so strongly.
The theatrical ending and alternate ending remain a long-running fan debate.
The film’s fake Times Square billboard for a Batman/Superman project became an amusing bit of comic-book movie trivia years before Batman v Superman existed.

Easter Eggs

Robert Neville’s daughter is named Marley, reinforcing the film’s repeated Bob Marley connection.
The Darkseekers’ light sensitivity echoes vampire elements from Richard Matheson’s original novel, even though the film presents the creatures more as infected mutants.
The butterfly visual motif becomes important to the film’s ending.
Times Square contains several fictional and real-world advertisements, including the much-discussed Batman/Superman billboard.
The title gains meaning through Neville’s role as both survivor and symbol, though the film interprets that idea differently from Matheson’s novel.

Misc.

I Am Legend is rated PG-13 and runs 101 minutes.
Box Office Mojo classifies the movie under drama, horror, sci-fi, and thriller genres.
Rotten Tomatoes’ consensus praises Will Smith’s performance while noting some concerns about the effects.
The film was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Your 3 Guys and a Flick ratings page lists the episode as Episode 238, with Don rating it 3.50, Ken rating it 2.50, Jon rating it 3.50, and an overall rating of 3.17.

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