'I Am Legend' prequel in development

Warner Bros. is developing a prequel to "I Am Legend," with Will Smith on board to return.

According to Variety, original "I Am Legend" director Francis Lawrence and producer Akiva Goldsman have been working up a prequel outline with Smith and his Overbrook Entertainment producing partner James Lassiter.

D.B. Weiss has been recruited to write the script, while Lawrence would direct.

The trade paper says that the film will cover the last days leading up to where the 2007 original began, with Smith's character (and his trusty dog) roaming New York City as the lone human survivor following an outbreak.

Under normal circumstances, a film that grossed $584 million worldwide would have been fodder for immediate sequel treatment. However, given the situation surrounding Smith's character at the end of the movie and given the "Hancock" star's centrality to the original's box office performance, a prequel was the only viable option.