Francis Lawrence's action-packed adaptation of Richard Matheson's I Am Legend is a sufficient post-apocalyptic thriller. Like 1964's The Last Man On Earth and 1971's The Omega Man before it, the film strays heavily from Matheson's source material in favor of something more modern and fast-paced. However, as distinctive as Lawrence's Legend may be, the 2007 movie could have been something quite different, as the film's rocky development underwent over a decade of changes and rewrites with multiple stars, writers, and directors in consideration. The most notable of those directors was none other than Ridley Scott, who actually spent several years working on a concept for the film before the reins turned over yet again. Still, traces of his I Am Legend remain, showing glimpses into a fascinating film that almost was.
Warner Brothers obtained the rights to Matheson's novel in 1970 and distributed The Omega Man a year later. Starring Charlton Heston as a somewhat cheesy action-hero version of the protagonist, Robert Neville, Omega Man didn't meet immense praise, and the intellectual property laid dormant for the next couple of decades. Not until the 1990s did Warner Brothers start to consider another adaptation of the book, and hired Mark Protosevich to draft a script. With a new vision of the story outlined, Warner Brothers signed Scott as the film's director in 1997.
Ridley Scott and John Logan Reworked a Bold Script For 'I Am Legend'
With Scott best known for Alien and Blade Runner at the time, he seemed like a natural fit to make an updated, sci-fi-heavy version of I Am Legend. Much like the finished 2007 film, Protosevich's initial script placed Robert Neville in a post-apocalyptic 21st century. However, it took place in San Francisco rather than New York and depicted the vampiric mutants—referred to as Darkseekers— as retaining elements of civility and intelligence, more like those in The Omega Man and less like the zombie monsters in Lawrence's final vision.
Scott had his qualms with Protosevich's story, though, and replaced him with screenwriter John Logan. Together, they wrote a new script— one that neared closer to Lawrence's eventual film in some ways but also contained a few esoteric qualities that never saw the light of day. While the Logan draft made the Darkseekers more animalistic and unhinged, the story was more of a psychological thriller than a straightforward action film. The entire first hour would contain no dialogue, and it would focus on Robert Neville's severe isolation and depression as the last man alive.
Concept Art Shows Practical Effect Darkseekers for Scott's Vision
There is concept art for Scott's vision of the film that includes images of the Darkseekers. They appear sickly, almost skeletal with their bones prominently showing through their pale, emaciated flesh. Hints of antagonistic villainy whisper through their otherwise dead eyes, and they don nothing but rudimentary garbs made out of repurposed trash, giving them a uniquely urban-tribal aesthetic. Scott even had character effects company Amalgamated Dynamics, Inc (ADI) create prosthetic sculptures and makeup tests for the beings, with legendary special effects artists Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr. at the helm.
In 2012, ADI released a video with Gillis and Woodruff sharing pictures of their designs, and the results are appropriately terrifying. Like Scott and Despretz's sketches, the prosthetic Darkseekers appear as walking, bony corpses. However, the physical sculptures offer additional depth and texture to the beings. In the images, one can see the attention that Gillis and Woodruff put into the Darkseekers' decaying teeth, pale veins, and rotting skin. The artists explain that they covered the Darkseekers with a silicone membrane, making them appear scrawny to the point of translucence.
Gillis and Woodruff also say that Scott advised them to look at 17th-century wax sculptures for inspiration. That queue along with the application of the makeup on actual models' faces further emphasizes the uncanny humanity still lingering in the Darkseekers' eyes. The designers mention that, at the time they were making these Darkseeker models, they didn't know whether they would be implemented in the film as bodysuits, prosthetics, or animatronics. Any of those three approaches, however, would have relied on practical effects rather than CGI. This would have given Scott's I Am Legend a classic zombie-horror movie feel, much like the iconic work of George Romero. Come 2007, however, CGI was the mainstream method for creating movie monsters, and the digital Darkseekers solidified I Am Legend as less of a horror film and more of a generic action movie. Sadly, the CGI Darkseekers did not end up looking as enthralling—or believable—as Gillis and Woodruff's designs and their uninspiring appearance actually ended up as one of the film's worst qualities.
Ridley Scott Wanted Arnold Schwarzenegger to Lead His 'I Am Legend'
Perhaps the greatest difference between Scott's I Am Legend and the 2007 film that hit theaters, though, would be the star picked to play Robert Neville. In 1997, Will Smith was fresh off the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and had not yet solidified himself as a bankable action hero. Although the studio considered Tom Cruise, Michael Douglas, and other A-listers for the part, the first choice for Scott's version of the character was Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Like Charlton Heston in Omega Man, Schwarzenegger might have brought a more jovial, fun energy to Neville's character. The action icon was already parodying himself in comedies such as Kindergarten Cop and Junior. At the same time, it would have been Schwarzenegger's first collaboration with Ridley Scott. The director allegedly would have reinvented Schwarzenegger through the character, demonstrating the actor's persistent affinity for action, while also showcasing his dramatic chops in an emotionally intense role. It's unclear whether this would have worked, but surely, a Schwarzenegger Neville would have come across quite differently from a Will Smith Neville.
Ballooning Budgets and Changing Markets Led Warner Brothers to Cancel Scott's 'I Am Legend'
With Schwarzenegger attached, elaborate set pieces planned out in urban areas, and laborious practical effects needed for a massified army of the undead, Scott's Legend was running up a costly tab. Warner Brothers estimated the budget at $108 million. For comparison, The Matrix was being made at the same time under Warner Brothers, and it managed on a $65 million budget. Scott tried to rewrite the script as a less expensive project, but before it moved forward, Warner Brothers pulled the plug.
While the budget was a major concern, other factors such as the sci-fi movie market at the time as well as Scott and Schwarzenegger's most recent films might have further pushed Warner Brothers to cancel I Am Legend. In '97 and '98 respectively, Warner Brothers released The Postman and Sphere, both big-budget sci-fi films that flopped at the box office. Meanwhile, Schwarzenegger's reputation as an actor continued to decline, perhaps most shamefully with Warner Brothers' own Batman & Robin, where his infamous performance as Mr. Freeze will never be forgotten. Lastly, Scott wasn't having the best luck at this time either, as his mid-90s directorial outings (1492: Conquest of Paradise, White Squall, and G.I. Jane) were failing to win over critics or box office returns. I Am Legend—at least as envisioned by Scott—was starting to look far too great of a gamble.
After Scott's Legend was nixed, Warner Brothers reworked the project a few times. Protosevich was rehired to write yet another draft of the script, and come 2002, Arnold was put behind the camera as producer while Michael Bay was considered for the director's chair and Will Smith for the lead. After yet another fallow period, the directorial reins passed onto Lawrence in 2005, with Akiva Goldsman attached as producer. While there were additional hiccups and details along the way, Goldsman rewrote the script one more time, moved the story to New York, and come 2006, filming began. The rest is history.... or should we say legend.
In the meantime, Schwarzenegger took a hiatus from acting to serve as governor of California, while Scott moved on to his next project: a little historical epic titled Gladiator that reaffirmed his reputation as a brilliant director. Considering Gladiator's immense success and the fact that Lawrence's I Am Legend is a solid—albeit ambivalently reviewed—movie, one cannot be too upset with how everything played out. Still, the evidence of the film that nearly was is fascinating, and one can imagine that with practical effects and a unique directorial vision, Scott's Legend could have been a real treat. Given that an I Am Legend sequel is now on the horizon, it would behoove Warner Brothers to take notes from this missed opportunity.