“Legend” Approaching
Whether or not this rumor about Johnny Depp joining I Am Legend turns out to be true, I’ve never been able to muster a shard of interest in this upcoming Warner Bros. sci-fier, which will shot in September with Will Smith toplining. The basic rundown — the last non-toxic guy in L.A. following a biological war has to fight off hordes of nocturnal mutants — indicates another bleak-ass, the-world-has-gone-to-shit zombie movie with this or that variation. The fact that Legend is being directed by Constantine‘s Francis Lawrence ony makes it sound grimmer. I started to read Mark Protosevich‘s script three or four years ago (was it farther back?) and gave up. And I never cared very much for Omega Man, a 1971 adaptation of Richard Matheson‘s original novel with Charlton Heston.
The original novel “I am Legend” by Richard Matheson is an excellent read. Hopefully, they don’t screw this up.
I love the Matheson story. The Protosevich is a travesty. Apparently the virus not only turns you into a vampire, it makes you deliver Anne Rice style dialogue. Crap with the usual bullshit action beats. Not expecting much from this. Guess I’ll die before a completely solid adaptation of this novella is ever made.
While I’m certainly not that interested in the Smith/Lawrence version – I thought the original Protosevich script was fantastic. Balls to the walls action, scary as hell. It’s been a long time, but I can’t remember any area that was lacking…
To echo what’s been said before, the Richard Matheson novel is excellent. And it’s been filmed twice. The first version was -The Last Man on Earth- (1964) with Vincent Price, a not-bad movie that’s not dissimilar in tone and style from George Romero’s -Night of the Living Dead-, which came later. Both the book and this first film version more or less pre-date (and certainly influenced) the “slow-moving zombie” genre.
A film adaptation of I Am Legend should not have “balls to the wall action.”
I haven’t read the book, I’m grading it on a pure script level.
lesterg- unless you read a new draft I haven’t seen yet, didn’t you notice that they totally drop the ball on the ending!!! That is what makes the story, gives it resonance, separates it from DOTD, not to mention explains the title. I have high hopes for this, especially with will smith and johnny depp… but if they insist on tacking on a BS happy ending (how can a movie about the last man on earth POSSIBLY have a happy ending?), then Jeff’s right about it being “another bleak-ass, the-world-has-gone-to-shit zombie movie with this or that variation.”
Sutter, to be honest I can’t recall since it’s been a good 6-7 years. I do agree that a happy ending has no place in an apocalyptic horror film.
Speaking of this particular genre – any fans of The Quiet Earth here?
Oh boy, Jeff is starting the hate machine on another movie before it’s even started shooting…
It’s a Will SMith movie. Will Smith movies are about two things. His ego being stroked and the products he’s hocking on behalf of the producers. Sunglasses, suits, motorcycles, shoes, whatever they pay him enough to hold up and in not so subliminal fashion say “Hi America! Buy this!” He’s the world’s highest paid pitch man.
I thought the book was pretty interesting, but I have no interest in seeing Will Smith shout “Aw, Hell No!!!!!” at a bunch of “busted-ass” vampires or zombies or mutants or whatever they decide to go with in this version.
“The original novel “I am Legend” by Richard Matheson is an excellent read. Hopefully, they don’t screw this up.”
They cast Will Smith. Too late.
Don’t forget, everyone, that Will Smith can act when he wants to. The whole Bad Boys/MIB persona pays the bills (and then some), but if you ask me, Ali and Six Degrees of Seperation demonstrate that the man is talented. I’m not saying this won’t be another patented Will Smith-blockbuster performance, but the potential is there for something slightly akin to Castaway. For most of the film, it’s him by himself, struggling with loneliness and bordering on insanity. Now studio heads no doubt get nervous about a Smith movie without plenty of one-liners, but the guy can command the screen and the potential is there for an extraordinary performance.
I too read the Protosevich script several years back. It played as a weird cross between the Heston version and the Price version for the most part, but goes completely off the rails in the second half as LB mentions. Ends with the line “I am Robert Neville, and I Am Legend” which, if you read the book, doesn’t jibe with Matheson’s intent, but that’s par for the course in La-La land.
It’s not that Will Smith can’t act, it’s that – generally – he doesn’t care to. He’s on autopilot, like Tommy Lee Jones i(a fantastic actor, but in decade following The Fugitive, he cashed a lot of paychecks) or Adam Sandler (great in Punchdrunk Love, but in everything since, his performance indicates his biggest effort was coming to set)
I Am Legend is a superb book. I don’t think there is any way in hell that they can keep the end of the book with a budget that’s sure to be north of $150 mil. (it might already be there with as much time as this film has spent in development hell). Without spoiling it, let’s just say it doesn’t end well.
That said, I am a fan of the Omega Man, as dated as it is. The opening scene, where Heston falls asleep watching Woodstock and then barely makes it back alive to his brownstone/fortress is still great.
I assume they are going to get Depp to play the role of the next door neighbor/head vampire. Anthony Zerbe did a pretty terrific job with the part in Omega Man, turning him into a kind of zombie prophet. Depp could take it any number of directions.
The movie could be okay. It won’t be I Am Legend, but if they do a decent update on Omega Man, I’ll go.
What about costume design?
Nobody does the neckerchief anymore. Chucky Heston rocked that little piece of neckware. Do questions about costume design seem as gay to read as they do to write?
Also, I always feel that Thomas Jane is doing an homage to Chuck Heston’s jaw-clench most of the time. Why not go vintage shot-for-shot, and have Thomas Jane do it? Oh, I remember — ’cause that would *SUCK*.
If the lead has to be a man of color, go with Henry Simmons, that giant dude from “NYPD Blue.” It’s a great, great story, and the reductive nature of the studio system today does not bode well for keeping the simplest of layers to the original story.
This is why Netflix is huge, and the box office is shrinking. Quoting Nora Desmond: “It’s the movies that have gotten smaller.” And stupider, clich√ɬ©d, and hackneyed.
The Quiet Earth is one of the best post-apocalyptic movies I’ve ever seen. It holds up well on repeat viewings, doesn’t pull its punches and has a truly amazing (& unpredictable) climax. Fantastic score by John Charles, too. If you haven’t seen it it’s absolutely worth tracking down. Have you ever caught it in your travels, Jeffrey?
It’s not that Will Smith can’t act, it’s that – generally – he doesn’t care to. He’s on autopilot, like Tommy Lee Jones i(a fantastic actor, but in decade following The Fugitive, he cashed a lot of paychecks) or Adam Sandler (great in Punchdrunk Love, but in everything since, his performance indicates his biggest effort was coming to set)
DSG, it’s one of those movies that is deeply admired by everyone who has seen it. 20 years later, I’m still debating what that final image means.
The great news is that the film is finally back in print and available on DVD. While I haven’t purchased it yet, I’d imagine it must blow the quality of the second-hand VHS tape I’ve had since the early 90′s out of the water.
I concur, the Matheson novel is incredible. One of the moodiest, most frightening books I have ever read. None of the films so far based on it have been able to capture it’s apocalyptic, spiraling atmosphere.
Depp would be great, and he’d get to homage one of his heroes Vincent Price who starred in the first adaptation of it, The Last Man On Earth.
Oh, Depp will be in it alongside Smith… so I assume he’ll be playing Matthias the leader of the vampire hordes. Cool.
I hope this means Depp isn’t going to be doing “Sweeney Todd”. I think he can play the character, but no way do I think he has the vocal chops, and doubt in this day and age they would dub his singing with somebody else.
I love the omega man it’s a classic 70′s B film with a really interesting musical score.
Down beat stories like this which are thought provoking don’t attract mass crowds any more. I don’t like the casting of will smith, that’s a mistake.
Oh, Depp will be in it alongside Smith… so I assume he’ll be playing Matthias the leader of the vampire hordes. Cool.
Remember when they bought the name “I, Robot” and grafted it onto a Will Smith movie?
This is gonna be the same thing. They’re shooting in LA, and, according to Entertainment Weekly, they aren’t vampires.
This is going to be crap.