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Will Smith’s $629 Million Box Office Hit From 16 Years Ago Needs A Sequel More Than I Am Legend

By Sean Morrison

Published Aug 6, 2024

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Summary

"I Am Legend 2" may be in development, but "Hancock" deserves a sequel more due to its unanswered questions and sequel set-up.
Creative differences hindered progress on "Hancock 2," with the original also facing development issues.
Will Smith's recent sequels demonstrate that "Hancock 2" still has potential, especially if "I Am Legend 2" is successful.

Though confirmed I Am Legend 2 is in development in March 2024, over 16 years after the original movie was released in 2007. In the original I Am Legend, Will Smith played Robert Neville, a scientist who was one of the few survivors of a world-ending plague that turned some people into vampire-like mutants called Darkseekers. The sequel will see Smith reprise that role, and it has also cast Michael B. Jordan as a yet-unknown character.

While it's definitely exciting to see a sequel to I Am Legend coming so many years after the original's release, the sequel isn't without its problems. Smith's character died in the original ending of I Am Legend, which means Will Smith's best action movies had a much more straightforward and needed sequel plan.

Will Smith as Neville with his dog Sam on the poster for I Am Legend

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Hancock Is One Of Will Smith’s Most Underrated Movies & (It Deserves A Sequel)

Hancock was both one of Will Smith's most underrated characters and movies, and it arguably deserves a sequel more than I Am Legend. Hancock saw Smith star as the titular John Hancock, a problematic superhero. Jason Bateman's Ray offers to help Hancock repair his public image, and over the course of the movie, he discovers that Ray's wife, Mary (Charlize Theron) was his long-lost soulmate and fellow superhero. Aside from Hancock's star-studded cast, it also had a ton of unanswered questions, like Mary and Hancock's past relationship and Hancock's future in New York, that could have been addressed by a sequel that never happened.

Why Will Smith’s Hancock 2 Never Happened

Will Smith in Hancock

Hancock was very well-received when it first came out - it earned $629 million at the worldwide box office (via Box Office Mojo) - and it seemed like a sequel would be soon to follow. Initially, there was some good progress being made towards Hancock 2. Writers Adam Fierro and Glen Mazzara, who worked on shows like Dexter and The Shield, were hired to write the script for the sequel in 2009 (via The Hollywood Reporter), but they never submitted a final draft. Director Peter Berg attributed that particular setback to creative clashes behind the scenes between Smith, his agent, Hancock's producers, and Berg himself (via Digital Spy).

The problems in getting Hancock 2 off the ground also seem to stem from the original Hancock. The original, too, went through a very troubled development. It started out as a screenplay titled Tonight, He Comes in 1996, and it only saw actual development after two different directors took a stab at it and Vince Gilligan and John August rewrote the script (via SlashFilm). The development woes of the original Hancock could have easily transferred over to the sequel. That, combined with the creative differences of the people behind Hancock 2, seems to have put the film into development deadlock.

Bad Boys & I Am Legend 2 Make Me Hopeful Hancock 2 Could Still Happen

While Hancock 2 has had more than a few setbacks, there's still a chance it eventually sees screens. Those chances have only improved in recent years, especially considering Will Smith's recent career choices. Since 2020, Smith has revisited some of his older classic movies: both Bad Boys for Life and Bad Boys: Ride or Die were released over 16 years after Bad Boys II hit theaters, and I Am Legend 2 is set for a sequel after 17 years. Based on those sequels, it wouldn't be difficult to imagine Smith ing a sequel to Hancock after at least 16 years.

Smith's recent sequels also serve as a sort of shift in his career strategy. Previously, Will Smith rarely returned for sequels, with notable exceptions like the Men in Black franchise and Bad Boys. His most recent films are a great sign that Smith is more open to sequels like Hancock 2 than he was previously, which may solve some of the creative differences it once suffered from. Smith isn't the only encouraging sign about Hancock 2 either. Charlize Theron said as recently as 2020, during a press tour for The Old Guard, that she would make Hancock 2 "in a heartbeat," (via Comicbook.com).

It's certainly far from becoming a reality, but there's still a chance that Will Smith could return to his superhero suit for Hancock 2. Its chances probably rely heavily on how I Am Legend 2 turns out, though. If it proves to be a commercial hit even after nearly two decades since the original movie's release, it could be just the positive sign needed to make Hancock 2. On the other hand, if I Am Legend 2 fails, it could be taken as a sign that such far-removed sequels aren't profitable, and prove to be the final nail in the coffin for Will Smith's superhero sequel.

Sources: Box Office Mojo, The Hollywood Reporter, Digital Spy, SlashFilm, Comicbook.com