I Am Legend 2 release date speculation, cast, plot, trailer, and everything we know about the upcoming horror sequel

Almost 20 years after it premiered, Will Smith’s emotional apocalyptic thriller I Am Legend is getting a sequel. That’s right, I Am Legend 2 is on the way! Right now, Warner Bros. is keeping tight-lipped on the elusive, long-awaited follow-up to one of the best zombie movies. But we do know that Smith will be returning as survivalist and researcher Dr Robert Neville, joined by a certain Black Panther star.

Released in 2007, Francis Lawrence’s I Am Legend is based on the novel of the same name by the late Richard Matheson, and follows Smith as a lone survivor living in an abandoned city with his dog. By night, Neville hides out at his secure home, trying to find a cure for the viral outbreak that has turned the world into a zombie-ridden wasteland. By day, the scientist roams the streets, looking for supplies and studying the strange creatures.

You may be thinking, "Wait a minute, didn't Robert die at the end of the movie?" which is correct, but the filmmakers have found a way to get around that little detail. While we are yet to see an official synopsis, Smith has hinted at some pretty important plot details and the movie’s setting.

So, without further ado, read on for ur best guesses on the sequel’s release date, cast list, plot details, when a trailer may drop, and everything else we know about one of the most exciting upcoming horror movies. For even more, you can see our roundup to this year's biggest movie release dates.

I Am Legend 2 release date speculation

I Am Legend 2 was announced back in March 2022 after being teased for several years. Just like the original movie, Warner Bros. is behind the sequel.

However, the film is still in the very early pre-production phase, and the script is still unfinished. With filming not even started yet, it is hard to predict when the sequel will hit screens. However, when cameras roll, an exact date may be closer in sight – so keep an eye on this page for news on that.

I Am Legend 2 cast

Will Smith is reprising his role, Dr. Robert Neville, from the 2007 movie. Although the scientist seemingly died at the end of the last film, the team is deciding to use the film’s alternate ending where he survives.

We also know that Sinners star Michael B. Jordan will star alongside Smith. When Jordan’s casting was first confirmed back in 2023, the star told People Magazine, "I’m really excited to get in front of the camera with [Smith]. Being somebody that I’ve looked up to for a really long time… I’m really excited."

However, it has still not been confirmed exactly who Jordan will be playing, but what we do know is that Smith and Jordan will not portray a father-son duo. In an interview with the Drink Champs podcast, Smith said, "Michael B. Jordan’s character currently is the head of a new settlement... He’s not my son."

As for other returning cast members, Alice Braga, who plays fellow survivor and Neville's companion of sorts, Anna, has shared her interest in joining the project. The star told Collider that she was "super surprised" to hear a sequel was in the works, adding, "I was almost jumping on the phone and saying, 'Can I please be in it?'" Braga's casting is yet to be confirmed.

That’s all we know about the I Am Legend 2 cast so far. The cast list is currently as follows:

• Will Smith as Dr. Robert Neville
• Michael B. Jordan -as an unnamed settlement head

I Am Legend 2 plot speculation

So, because Will Smith’s hero Dr. Robert Neville died in the first movie, you may be wondering just how the star is returning for the sequel, which is set to take place decades after the original 2007 movie.

Earlier in 2025, Smith addressed the issue on the Drink Champs podcast, saying that they were originally going to make a prequel. But I Am Legend screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, who is returning to pen the sequel’s suggested script, suggested that they make a follow-up to the first movie’s alternate ending. "[Akiva Goldsman] was like, but wait, what if we make a new version from the alternate ending, where your character is still alive and you know," said Smith.

I Am Legend follows Smith’s scientist and his dog living in a city taken over by zombie-like creatures called Darkseekers. The movie follows Neville’s research on the zombies in a bid to find a cure. But his trials are futile, as in the end, Neville’s laboratory is infiltrated by the zombies. In order to protect his new friend Anna and her child, Neville sacrifices himself and blows up himself and the monsters. After, Anna takes his cure to a nearby research facility.

However, when the movie was released digitally, it included an alternate ending which viewers could choose to watch instead of what was shown in theaters. The alternate final scene sees Neville face up to the lead zombie called Alpha. But rather than killing him, Alpha instead takes back the female zombie that Neville was conducting his research on. The zombies then turn around and leave, making Neville wonder if he is really the monster. Finally, Neville abandons his lab and travels with Anna and her son Ethan in search of other survivors.

With the sequel following on from the alternate ending, that means Neville was alive and well the last time we saw him. However, with the scientist realizing that the zombies can feel some kind of emotion and empathy, leading them to raid Neville’s facility to save one of their own, we wonder how that might affect Neville’s view of the creatures in the new movie.

Warner Bros. is yet to release an official synopsis of the sequel. However, back in 2023, writer Akiva Goldsman revealed to Deadline that I Am Legend 2 will "start a few decades later than the first." As for styling, Goldsman admitted that he is obsessed with The Last of Us, "where we see the world just post-apocalypse but also after a 20-30-year lapse." So expect some overgrown city landscapes.

As for the setting, in the same interview, the writer confirmed that the second installment will take place in New York City, USA, just as the first movie did. "I don't know if [the Darkseekers will] climb up to the Empire State Building, but the possibilities are endless." However, there will be some movement in the movie as Smith may have let slip that the film will partly take place in Connecticut too, as that is where Michael B Jordan’s character’s settlement is located.

Is there an I Am Legend 2 trailer yet?

With the movie still in the early developmental phase, we cannot guess when filming will start. This means that a trailer is well out of sight, for now.

For more, check out our list of the best horror movies, or our guide to all the upcoming movies heading our way.