I Am Legend Director Francis Lawrence Regrets Both Film Endings

Over the last few decades, we have seen apocalyptic stories become increasingly popular in all forms of media. Though it may herald all the way back to the mid-'60s, "I Am Legend" remains one of the most influential examples of the subgenre.

Adapted to the screen three different times, only director Francis Lawrence's version of the Richard Matheson story would bear the same title as the book. However, ironically, his version arguably deviates the most from the source material. He spoke about this on an episode of the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast.

In the theatrical ending, Robert Neville (Will Smith) chooses to sacrifice himself so Anna (Alice Braga) and Ethan (Charlie Tahan) can escape. Meanwhile, the alternate ending of "I Am Legend," which is closer to the book, sees him realizing the error of his ways and accepting the new world he lives in. Either way, neither of them comes close to matching the grim irony and gravitas of Matheson's, something Lawrence seems to have accepted.

"I prefer the original ending to the two that we have," the filmmaker admitted. "But the truth is, now, I would've built it to be able to do the ending from the novella, truly just do that story. But with the money being spent, everybody was nervous about doing something so nihilistic."

The original ending to the "I Am Legend" novel by Richard Matheson wraps things up on a darkly poignant note, with Robert Neville realizing that in this new world, he's the one who has become the monster. With this understanding dawning on him, he decides to end his life before he can be executed by the creatures who now populate the Earth.

It's an — ahem — legendary ending that horror scribes have been lauding for nearly 60 years. Meanwhile, as many have noted, the theatrical cut of Francis Lawrence's "I Am Legend" goes directly against the source material, instead making Robert Neville into a self-sacrificing hero. 

The filmmaker explained the pressure he felt from the studio brass to make "I Am Legend" into something more palatable but confessed he thinks neither of the two endings was the right choice. "Looking back, I feel like everybody went to see 'The Last Man on Earth' and enjoyed it for that reason and would've still enjoyed ['I Am Legend'] with the nihilistic ending," he said, name-dropping the first film adaptation of the story. That said, with a sequel on the horizon that will be using the alternate ending as a jumping-off point, there is at least a chance that the divisive reaction to "I Am Legend" can be rectified. 

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