I Am Legend

[Lianachan]

(that probably sounds pretty arrogant, for those who've never heard of the book!)

I found out today that a third film based on Matheson's brilliant I Am Legend is due to start production this month. Unlike The Last Man On Earth (1963) and (even more so) The Omega Man (1971) this one is supposed to stay close to the original story. I read Mark Protosevich's screenplay today and I must say it does sound very good - if it's what they go with, and if it can be realised then we could be in for a treat.

There's a detalied review of the book here (extreme spoilers warning), and the IMDB page for the upcoming film is here. Rumour has it that Will Smith will star. Which, frankly, does not bode well.

Has anybody else been waiting for this book to make the transition to the big screen?

[Roy Batty]

Has anybody else been waiting for this book to make the transition to the big screen?

Not really, since I actually liked aspects of the aforementioned 2 films. Don't get me wrong, I love the book & also many other things Matheson's been involved in more directly on screen (eg Martian Chronicles etc), i've just not been waiting for a 'true to the book' version. Hope it will be decent though!

Edit: just checked Imdb.. They're remaking the The Incredible Shrinking Man too? action/comedy/scifi?!

[Gillianren]

Both of those books are on my "to read" list. However, no matter how many books I read (and I read a lot of books), that list never gets any shorter, so I can't say when I'll get to 'em. (But Stephen King says lots of interesting things about The Incredible Shrinking Man in his own Danse Macabre, if anyone cares.)

[mike alexander]

I think the original title of the book was just 'The Shrinking Man'.

But then, the film was made in the era of 'Incredible', 'Giant', 'Colossal', 'Amazing' and so on.

[DonM435]

I Am Legend is a fine little book. Matheson crafts semi-scientific explanations for vampirism and all its trappings, and does it well. The story is still moving in an old-fashioned, scary way.

Both The Last Man on Earth and The Omega Man are okay in their own right, but fail to make the best of the book. The original Night of the Living Dead does a better job of capturing the essence of the story.

I wouldn't want to bet on it, but maybe they'll get it right the next time. I agree that Will Smith won't quite do.

[soylentgreen]

The director of CONSTANTINE(!?!) and BRITNEY SPEARS GREATEST HITS is apparently attached to it. If the blurb "The lone healthy survivor of a biological war faces off against a new breed of nocturnal mutants." is accurate, that coupled with the director make it appear to be off to a lousy start.

Anyone who's a fan of the Matheson book owes it to themselves to hunt down the 4-Book comic version from Eclipse Books. It's quite well done and preserves a phenomenal amount of the original text.

First Schwarzenneger, then Will Smith, then Ridley Scott, then....forget it. The tale of the "imminent" making of the "definitive" film of the book has been a long sad song of woe.

I won't write it off yet, but I don't have much hope for this coming to a satisfying fruition. Frank Darabont taking on FAHRENHEIT 451 seems alot more promising...at least so far.

[Inferno]

Read it recently. Great book. Only wished it went for longer. Really wrapped itself up quickly. Another 50 pages would have been ideal.\

I wouldn't trust IMDB for your upcoming movie news. Try darkhorizons.com

[Lianachan]

I think the original title of the book was just 'The Shrinking Man'.

I'm sure I read somewhere that he didn't allow the titles of his books to be used as the titles of any films based on them, because he knew they'd be more based on than faithful conversions. I think it was I Am Legend that was specifically mentioned, although I can't remember where or when I read that.

Anyone who's a fan of the Matheson book owes it to themselves to hunt down the 4-Book comic version from Eclipse Books. It's quite well done and preserves a phenomenal amount of the original text.

Never seen that. I think I'll look out for it. I think Neil Marshall would probably be a good director for I Am Legend, but I've never seen his name connected with it.

I wouldn't trust IMDB for your upcoming movie news.

Yup, I would agree with that 100%.

[novaderrik]

and all this time i thought that "I am Legend" was a really cool White Zombie song.
i wonder if the song is based on the book, since Rob Zombie is a fan of stuff like that.
hell, maybe he should direct it..

[Kesh]

and all this time i thought that "I am Legend" was a really cool White Zombie song.
i wonder if the song is based on the book, since Rob Zombie is a fan of stuff like that.
hell, maybe he should direct it..

It absolutely is. Part of the lyrics are:

Omega Man says it's all gone away
Cannot believe it
Well, I am the one, a god with a gun
I am legend

The Omega Man was a version of the story filmed with Charlton Heston, featuring mutant cultists instead of vampires. So, the link is pretty implicit in the lyrics.

And yes, he really should direct it. It'd be a much more satisfying horror film, though so far he's focused on the 'shock' horror rather than the psychological horror implied in the original story.

[Maksutov]

The first two were pretty good in their own right.

[Dave Mitsky]

The first two were pretty good in their own right.

I agree. Those films were pretty good but certainly not great.

Dave Mitsky

[Kesh]

I don't think Vincent Price ever made a bad film.

[Lianachan]

I agree. Those films were pretty good but certainly not great.

Dave Mitsky

They were also certainly not very much like the book. Last Man On Earth stays a bit closer, but still deviates a fair bit.

[Dave Mitsky]

They were also certainly not very much like the book. Last Man On Earth stays a bit closer, but still deviates a fair bit.

I don't believe that I said they were very much like the book.

Dave Mitsky

[Lianachan]

I don't believe that I said they were very much like the book.

Dave Mitsky

I don't believe I said that you said they were very much like the book. I was merely making an observation.

[Dave Mitsky]

Yes, but it seemed to me that the inference was there. Let's drop the matter.

Dave Mitsky

[Lianachan]

Yes, but the inference was there.

Dave Mitsky

The implication wasn't.

Edited - I see you've edited your post since I replied. Yes, I'm all for dropping it. I can't see what the problem is anyway.

[Inferno]

I love these end of humanity books. Just finished reading Day of the Triffids. Great book. Not at all what I was expecting. The Triffids really aren't that important to the story.

[Lianachan]

I love these end of humanity books. Just finished reading Day of the Triffids. Great book. Not at all what I was expecting. The Triffids really aren't that important to the story.

That's one of the many books I've always intended to read, but never quite got around to actually picking up.

[eburacum45]

There is an old book by R C Sherriff called The Cataclysm which is an interesting post-apocalyptic tale.

It describes the impact of the Moon onto the Earth (in the Atlantic) and the survival of humanity after this event;
by a stroke of luck the Moon turns out to be hollow (talk about Bad Astronomy) so the results of this collision are fairly minimal, but devastating to the countries bordering the Atlantic.

Once again more concerned with the collapse of society and the political and human consequences of this event than with spectacular disaster.

[Inferno]

Is The Postman worth reading? I've heard it's good, but been put off by the reaction to the movie.

[Lianachan]

Once again more concerned with the collapse of society and the political and human consequences of this event than with spectacular disaster.

For a depiction of those consequences, it's very hard to think of anything better than the absolutely horrific Threads.

[Roy Batty]

I thought The Quiet Earth was fairly good, worth a watch anyway.

[Halcyon Dayz]

I thought The Quiet Earth was fairly good, worth a watch anyway.

Very good film, but I'm not sure it qualifies as post-apocalyptic.
And it had only three people in it, not much social interaction.

[gethen]

Is The Postman worth reading? I've heard it's good, but been put off by the reaction to the movie.

The movie was pretty bad. The book is very good, IMO. Both have a post-apocalyptic theme, and both involve a mail man. End of parallel.

[soylentgreen]

For a depiction of those consequences, it's very hard to think of anything better than the absolutely horrific Threads.

I second that, brother. I just finally broke down and got a bootleg( )of it on dvd at the last Chiller Convention. I had no choice as it's only been on dvd in the U.K. so far. The image quality, sad to say, is only marginally better than the old vhs I've nursing along for 15 years.

I also picked up NO BLADE OF GRASS. It's the film based on the John (The Tripods) Christopher's novel "The Death of Grass". Directed by Cornel Wilde( ) no less! For a change of pace, in this one it's grains that take it on the chin and, inevitably, mankind reacts less than admirably. A little stiff, but I never turn my nose up at a depiction of doomsday.


As far as other books go...Anyone ever try EARTH ABIDES by George Stewart? It's quite well done. As one of the grand-daddies of doomsday fiction...1949, it still packs a hell of a punch.

[soylentgreen]

Ahhhhhh....It appears to be beyond official now! Not to be ironic and resurrect a thread about the undead, but this had to be addressed.

Will Smith in I AM LEGEND!

Aint it Cool News - Spy Pics From The NYC Set Of I AM LEGEND!!

It is Ain't It Cool, so wear your waders.

The IMDb page lists this - "The lone healthy survivor of a biological war faces off against a new breed of nocturnal mutants." - as the synopsis. Which makes it much more of a remake of THE OMEGA MAN than a version of the Matheson book.

Though, in my book, that's a kind of safety net. If this version sucks, technically they will still have not attempted to film the book proper. Rationalizing, I know....but it's all I've got.

[Gillianren]

Well. Those picutres sure do show what the movie's going to be like, don't they? Oh, wait.

[Lianachan]

Ahhhhhh....It appears to be beyond official now! Not to be ironic and resurrect a thread about the undead, but this had to be addressed.

Will Smith in I AM LEGEND!

Aint it Cool News - Spy Pics From The NYC Set Of I AM LEGEND!!

It is Ain't It Cool, so wear your waders.

The IMDb page lists this - "The lone healthy survivor of a biological war faces off against a new breed of nocturnal mutants." - as the synopsis. Which makes it much more of a remake of THE OMEGA MAN than a version of the Matheson book.

Though, in my book, that's a kind of safety net. If this version sucks, technically they will still have not attempted to film the book proper. Rationalizing, I know....but it's all I've got.

Cheers for that link and info.

I still can't imagine Will Smith being any use in this film, but hey - at least it's not Tom Cruise!