Movies
Ten Years Later, ‘I Am Legend’ Director Gets Honest About the Film
The 10 year anniversary of director Francis Lawrence’s I Am Legend just passed in December, the Will Smith-starring film of course an adaptation of Richard Matheson’s same-named novella. The film was a smash hit at the box office, raking in $585 million worldwide, but what does Lawrence think about his work, ten years later?
Distance always helps to bring honest clarity, and in a chat with Screen Rant this week, Lawrence opened up about the approach he *wishes* he had taken to the adaptation.
“Looking back at it now, I think that we could have just done basically the story of the novella straight up and made the same amount of money in terms of ticket sales because people went I think for the last man on earth,” Lawrence told the site. “They would have accepted the nihilistic ending, they would have accepted vampires instead of people with infections.”
He continued, “We could have literally made the book, which I would have been much happier with, but you know when you’re spending that much money you’re panicking that you’re making this weird little kind of art film about a guy alone with a dog in New York and you’re trying to you know sort of create that spectacle.”
What Lawrence is essentially saying here is that, in hindsight, he wishes he had gone smaller with the 2007 adaptation. The pressure to turn the novella into a massive Hollywood tentpole seems to have dictated most of the creative decisions that were made on the project, which Lawrence doesn’t seem too thrilled about.
Reading Lawrence’s comments on I Am Legend, I can’t help but think about what Universal was attempting to do with their monster-filled Dark Universe. While most horror fans have been begging for smaller, scarier monster movies, Universal has been aiming for four-quadrant blockbusters, which hasn’t been turning out so well for them.
There’s something to be said for “weird little kind of art films,” as Lawrence describes. After all, think about what Universal would’ve done with Creature from the Black Lagoon. And then look at what Guillermo del Toro did with it for his own The Shape of Water.
Take notes, Universal. Please take notes.
Movies
SCREAMBOX Investigates UFOs and Extraterrestrials: Several Documentaries Streaming Right Now!
As someone who is obsessed with UFOS (or more recently known as UAPs) and the concept of extraterrestrials, I love a good documentary. Sightings have been on the rise since the 1940s, with the atomic bomb seemingly acting as a catalyst for new visitors. But what are these UFOs/UAPs? Is there an explanation or are they simply beyond our explanation? Why are they here? Who are they? How much do our governments know? The questions are endless and so are the documentaries that attempt to uncover the secrets behind decades of sightings and alleged confrontations.
Whether you’re a seasoned viewer or new to the rabbit hole, there’s always a handful of interesting documentaries to get your neurons firing and leave you with sleepless nights. SCREAMBOX is investigating with the addition of several docs, all streaming now on the Bloody Disgusting-powered service. Here’s the breakdown:
Aliens (2021): Beam into this unidentified streaming documentary for a glimpse into Extraterrestrial life. Aliens are hypothetical life forms that may occur outside Earth or that did not originate on Earth.
Aliens Uncovered: Origins (2021): Before Area 51, hidden deep in the desert, the military discovered a hidden gem that helped them create Project Bluebook.
Aliens Uncovered: ET or Man-Made (2022): The crash of Roswell wasn’t meant for New Mexico. In 1947, a neighboring state had 3 major sightings that were swept under the rug.
Aliens Uncovered: The Golden Record (2023): In the late 70s, the US government launched a message to our distant neighbors.
Roswell (2021): This high-flying documentary examines the July 1947 crash of a United States Army Air Forces balloon at a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. Theories claim the crash was actually that of a flying saucer, but what is the truth?
Also check out:
The British UFO Files (2004): Since the 1940’s the British Government has been investigating the Flying Saucer phenomenon. High-ranking military and government personnel, speak out for the first time, offering unique eyewitness accounts and inside information.
Alien Abductions and Paranormal Sightings (2016): Amazing Footage and stories from real people as they reveal their personal encounters of being abducted by Aliens.
And do not miss Hellier (2019): A crew of paranormal researchers find themselves in a dying coal town, where a series of strange coincidences lead them to a decades-old mystery.
These documentaries join SCREAMBOX’s growing library of unique horror content, including Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, Here for Blood, Terrifier 2, RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop, Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, The Outwaters, Living with Chucky, Project Wolf Hunting, and Pennywise: The Story of IT.
Start screaming now with SCREAMBOX on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Prime Video, Roku, YouTube TV, Samsung, Comcast, Cox, and Screambox.com.
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