Director Francis Lawrence said in 2008 that there would be a prequel and that Will Smith would be reprising his role. The plot of the film would reveal what happened to Neville before the infected took over New York. D. B. Weiss was hired to write the script, while Lawrence was in negotiations to return as director, contingent on a sufficiently interesting story. Smith later discussed the premise, which would have his character and a team going from New York City to Washington, D.C., as they made their last stand against those infected with the virus.[85] The film would again explore the premise of being alone. Lawrence stated, "... the tough thing is, how do we do that again and in a different way?"[86] In May 2011, Lawrence stated that the prequel was no longer in development saying, "I don't think that's ever going to happen."[87]
In 2012, Warner Bros. announced that negotiations had begun to produce another installment with the intention of having Smith reprise his role.[88] In April 2014, the studio acquired a script entitled A Garden at the End of the World, described as a post-apocalyptic variation of The Searchers. Studio executives found so many similarities to I Am Legend in the screenplay, they had the author Gary Graham rewrite it so it could serve as a reboot of the story, hoping to create a franchise with the new film. By 2014, Smith, who is known for his reluctance to appear in sequels, had not commented on whether he would appear.[89]
On March 4, 2022, a sequel was officially announced as in development, with Will Smith reprising his role and Michael B. Jordan set to star, and both producing. Akiva Goldsman would also return to write the screenplay. The film will follow up the alternate ending, rather than the original.[90][91][15][92]
