I Am Legend sequel will be set decades after the original and Will Smith is returning

We're officially getting an I Am Legend sequel and the producer behind the movie has explained how the plot will work.

Those who saw the original will remember the emotional moment Will Smith's character, Dr Robert Neville, sacrifices himself to ensure the cure could save the world from the zombie apocalypse.

However, what some people might not be aware of is that on the DVD there was an alternate ending that really changes the way the story goes.

The plot is listed as: "During the lab attack, the alpha male Darkseeker creates a butterfly shape while attempting to break through the glass to the laboratory.

Village Roadshow Pictures

"Neville realizes it is referencing the butterfly-shaped tattoo on the female Darkseeker's neck and the alpha male is trying to recover his mate."

Smith's character suddenly realises that his years of testing and research on Darkseekers makes him the villain in their eyes.

He catches up with Ethan and Anna while abandoning his research to find a cure.

This will form the basis of the sequel that is being produced by Akiva Goldsman.

He's told Deadline the highly-anticipated sequel will be set decades after the original.

“I’m obsessed with The Last of Us, where we see the world just post-apocalypse but also after a 20-30-year lapse," he revealed.

"You see how the earth reclaims the world, and there’s something beautiful in the question of, as man steps away from being the primary tenant, what happens? That will be especially visual in New York. I don’t know if they’ll climb up to the Empire State Building, but the possibilities are endless."

Village Roadshow Pictures

He says they will be sticking closely to the source material, which was a book of the same name written by Richard Matheson.

The concept behind that narrative is that mankind's dominance of the Earth is coming to an end and the remaining humans will have to battle the elements and the new zombies to be the leaders.

"That’s a really interesting thing we’re going to get to explore," Goldsman said. "There will be a little more fidelity to the original text.”

Not only is Will Smith returning for the sequel but Michael B. Jordan has also signed up to star in the project.

It's unclear what character Jordan will play so we'll have to wait until more details get released.

Goldsman didn't flesh out when we could expect to see the sequel on the big screen either so stay tuned for that big update.