Who Could Michael B. Jordan Play In Will Smith's I Am Legend 2?

It's become a common occurrence for movies to get sequels made years, if not decades, after the fact. While most studios would want to hop on a franchise as quickly as possible, sometimes a more methodical approach is best. That's what audiences will witness with the impending release of "Top Gun: Maverick" and "Hocus Pocus 2." However, there's another intriguing long-awaited sequel in the works that should raise plenty of eyebrows, namely "I Am Legend 2."

In March 2022, Deadline reported how Will Smith and Michael B. Jordan were in talks to star in a sequel to Smith's 2007 hit. Not much was offered in the way of what the story would be about, especially seeing how Smith's character dies in the theatrical cut, but if there's one thing Hollywood's good at, it's bringing characters back from the dead to star in another property.

With the world witnessing Smith's now-infamous slap at the 2022 Oscars, the status of "I Am Legend 2" is in the air, but until we hear otherwise, it should still be in the works. Assuming the project's wheels are still turning, there are still many questions to answer, specifically who will Michael B. Jordan play if Will Smith indeed returns as Robert Neville? There are plenty of ways for that collaboration to work, but one appears to make more sense than the others. 

The original "I Am Legend 2" announcement doesn't mention whether the story will be a sequel, prequel, or some kind of combination of the two. If it takes place after the events of the first movie, it's possible we could see Smith return in flashbacks with Jordan appearing as a new character in the present day. However, that really wouldn't allow audiences the chance to dive further into Neville's character. Another route the next chapter of this story could take would be to present it as a prequel to the original film with Michael B. Jordan playing a young Robert Neville while Smith plays the older variation. 

The film could go back and forth between Neville's early days in the midst of the apocalypse. We know from the first film that only three years have passed from the time the virus broke out to the events of the film. We could get glimpses of how the monsters first formed and took over this world with Smith's Neville learning about their weaknesses and how he can fight against them. 

As that takes place, we get flashbacks of his life before the apocalypse broke out. We know he had a wife and daughter and worked as a United States Army virologist, which is why he has the skills and knowledge necessary to come up with a cure by the end of "I Am Legend." It would offer a deeper dive into who Neville is as a character as well as provide more of the horror and tension that helped define the first film.