Will Smith's Best Movie Could've Been Very Different – And Directed By Michael Bay
Francis Lawrence's 2007 post-apocalyptic drama "I Am Legend" is based loosely on the celebrated 1954 novel by Richard Matheson. The original novel is set in the near future of 1976 when a destructive war has ravaged the Earth, and a horrible virus has infected the survivors. The virus transforms its victims into pale-skinned, nocturnal ghouls with an appetite for human blood, more or less making them vampires. The novel follows Robert Neville, seemingly the last human alive, as he tries to survive in a ravaged Los Angeles and study the virus during the daylight hours. The title comes from the novel's famous twist ending.
"I Am Legend" was adapted to film in 1964 as "The Last Man on Earth," and in 1971 as "The Omega Man," before Lawrence's 2007 version. Lawrence's version transposes the action to New York and makes Neville (Will Smith) into a surviving virologist attempting to come up with a cure for the vampire virus. In all versions of the story, Neville encounters a few other human survivors.
The 2007 version of "I Am Legend" was in development for a few years, with a 1997 script by Mark Protosevitch. For a while, Ridley Scott was attached to direct, and big stars like Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson, and Michael Douglas were approached to star, and Scott even hired John Logan to rewrite the script before the studio got cold feet and reassigned Protosevitch. The project stalled after that.
In 2002, as detailed by an article in Variety, Arnold Schwarzenegger bought the rights to the story and put the film back into production. Will Smith was convinced to star, and Schwarzenegger approached Michael Bay to direct. A somber, post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie directed by shlock action director Michael Bay? It would have been a very, very different film.
The Schwarzenegger Version
Michael Bay, as many readers likely know, was the "mastermind" behind confusing, clunky actioners like "The Rock," "Armageddon," "The Island," and five of the "Transformers" movies. He tends to shoot and edit his movies with as much movement as possible, visual clarity be damned. "I Am Legend" would have been a challenge for the director, a test to see if he could scale back his explosive music-video techniques and make a film that is quiet and introspective.
According to Variety, Arnold Schwarzenegger was approached to star in the Ridley Scott version of "I Am Legend," and stayed attached through his own interest. It seems that Scott's version would have been too expensive to make, reportedly about $125 million, which was an enormous price tag in 1997. Also according to Variety, execs and higher-ups at CAA were keen to see Will Smith and Michael Bay reteam after "Bad Boys" in 1995. Bay's films were making huge amounts of money, so having the two together seemed like a sure thing. Incidentally, Bay and Smith would indeed reteam in 2003 to make "Bad Boys II," which was still in development when the Variety article was written.
The Variety article pointed out that Schwarzenegger's 1990s hot streak was pretty much over by 2002, having made disappointments like "Eraser," "Batman & Robin," "End of Days," and "The 6th Day" all in a row. Schwarzenegger needed a hit, and "I Am Legend" was going to be it. That, and his then-upcoming "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines."
Schwarzenegger ended up passing on "I Am Legend," and Bay was dropped at the same time. The project was handed to Akiva Goldsman who re-wrote the script and brought on Francis Lawrence to direct.
Bayhem is Legend
What would a Michael Bay version of "I Am Legend" have looked like? It's an odd thing to ponder as Bay is best known for his explosion-based action pictures and "I Am Legend" isn't an outright action movie. Bay has also never made a horror movie, usually staying in the realm of mechanically inclined science fiction.
One can assume that Protosevich's script would have been rewritten entirely to include more action and mayhem. Perhaps there would have been more flashbacks, showing how Neville survived the plague. The world war from Richard Matheson's original novel might also have been re-inserted, allowing Bay to film at least one scene of military combat, a particular fetish of his.
One might also ponder what sort of tone Bay's "I Am Legend" might have sported. Francis Lawrence was able to make the final version feel downbeat and scary and a little sad (yes, sadly, the dog dies). But Bay is terrible with emotions, tragedy, and sadness. His films don't feature breaks from the action wherein characters weep and contemplate their scenario. His films are impulsive, Dionysian, and testicular. One might imagine — in Bay's vision — that Neville's nights weren't going to be scenes of Will Smith huddled in a bathtub, hoping the vampires don't break down his door, and instead feature scenes of Will Smith firing a machine gun into a hoard of CGI vampires lurking outside.
The final film still ended up costing about $150 million, although that was less money than $150 million in 1997. It made over $585 million worldwide, so the wait seems to have paid off. "I Am Legend 2" is currently in development.