Fans of I Am Legend thought it was their lucky day when a new trailer dropped for a sequel, I Am Legend 2, starring Will Smith and Michael B Jordan.
It turns out it's just wishful thinking though, as the trailer was revealed to be a fan-made one.
Many fans were tricked by the AI-crafted fake, with viewers sharing their frustration that it wasn't the real deal.
The fake trailer had clocked up nearly two and a half million views at the time of writing, with a few eagled eyed fans in the comment section noticing that footage from another film had been sneaked in.
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"1:26 is a clip from iRobot where he gets his car flipped by the robots. Nice sneak!" said one, while another noticed: "The parts with Michael B Jordan is from the movie Without Remorse."
“I really thought this was a legit trailer for a second,” said one, as another confessed: “They nearly got me, lol.”
Watch the very fake trailer below:
Not all hope is lost though for fans of the 2007 smash hit, as there are still strong signs a sequel could be coming.
There have been rumours swirling since 2022 that a follow up was coming to the original, which saw Smith wandering around a post-apocalyptic New York City with his beloved dog.
The first film earned a whopping $585.4 million against a budget of $150 million, so it could clearly be a money spinner judging by the interest in the fake trailer.
Spoiler alert, the only issue is Smith's character Dr Robert Neville died at the end of the first film, with many fans hoping there's an alternate ending available which meant we would see him return for a second chance.
Akiva Goldsman is reportedly on board as the writer, with original director Francis Lawrence rumoured to be returning.
The inclusion of Michael B Jordan in the fake trailer didn't come from nothing either, as he's set to star in an as-yet-unconfirmed role.
He opened up about his desire to work with the Men In Black star in the past, saying Will Smith is "somebody that I’ve looked up to for a really long time, [so] to be able to work with Will is something I’m really looking forward to. I’m really excited.”
The alternate ending theory gained traction after Will Smith said in 2023: “We’re going with the mythology of the DVD version where my character lives and I can’t tell you anymore.”
Writer Goldsman added: “We trace back to the original [Richard] Matheson book, and the alternate ending as opposed to the released ending in the original film.
“What Matheson was talking about was that man’s time on the planet as the dominant species had come to an end."
"That’s a really interesting thing we’re going to get to explore. There will be a little more fidelity to the original text.”
Essentially, it seems they realised they made a mistake killing him off and are going to ignore that fact and rewrite it.
In May 2024, Smith said he had a productive meeting with Jordan: "We had a couple weeks together about a month ago. I think it's looking good. [We have some] really solid ideas... I think we're going to make it on screen together. That dude is the truth, so I would love to do that."
Topics: Film, TV and Film, Will Smith, Michael B Jordan, Horror, AI
Jen Thomas