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華納影片公司貢獻

《智能叛變》《黑超特警組》巨星

韋史密夫WILL SMITH

《魔間行者》導演法蘭西斯羅倫斯FRANCIS LAWRENCE科幻驚慄鉅獻

地球僅存者

對抗變種滅絕天劫

人類最後命運 全繫一身

12月13日 滅絕出擊

www.iamlegend-asia.com

繼《智能叛變》後，韋史密夫（《黑超特警組》）夥拍《魔間行者》導演法蘭西斯羅倫斯，創造又一科幻驚慄鉅獻。可怕病毒肆虐全世界，繁榮的紐約市突變死城，地球上唯一生還者成為人類存亡最後希望，成為活生生的傳奇。

羅拔紐維爾（韋史密夫　飾演）是一位天才橫溢的科學家，但他也控制不到一種快速傳播、無法治療的人造病毒。不知何故，他對這種病毒卻神奇地擁有免疫能力，他發現自己成為紐約市唯一生存的人，甚至可能是全世界最後一個站著的人。

三年來，紐維爾每日都會向外間發放無線電訊息，希望尋找另一位像他一樣在浩劫中僥倖生存的人。他身邊潛伏著許多受病毒感染的變種人，他們留意著紐維爾的一舉一動，靜待他行差踏錯，伺機把他置諸死地。作為人類最後的生存希望，紐維爾肩負起一項重大的任務：他要利用自己帶免疫力的血液，尋找治療病毒的方法，帶領人類走出黑暗絕境。但勢孤力弱的他，再沒有多少時間完成這項艱鉅的任務。

《魔間傳奇》由華納兄弟電影公司發行，韋史密夫主演，法蘭西斯羅倫斯執導。

經典科幻小說電影化　呈現人類浩劫奇蹟

曾演過《智能叛變》、《天煞：地球反擊戰》、《黑超特警組》等電影的韋史密夫，對科幻電影一向情有獨鍾，他更一直非常欣賞李察麥地遜的經典小說《魔間傳奇》。「那部小說包含了很多元素：恐怖、科幻、還有很出色的人物描寫。」韋史密夫表示：「世上最後一個人的心理是怎樣的呢？我對此很感興趣。羅拔紐維爾為了求生，體能、心理和精神上都要受到嚴峻的考驗，這是一個刻劃人性的好機會。」

這部科幻電影鉅獻的導演法蘭西斯羅倫斯補充：「一個人在現代城市裡面孤身一人，徬徨無助的情境，我很希望能把它拍成電影。《魔間傳奇》是那種一個人挑戰世界的故事，這也是它能歷久不衰的原因。」

李察麥地遜在1954年出版的小說《魔間傳奇》，廣被視為現代科幻驚慄故事的典範，對後來的作品影響深遠，啟發了無數仿傚者，先前亦已兩次被拍成電影，分別是1964年由雲遜派斯主演的《The Last Man on Earth》和1971年由查爾登希士頓主演的《The Omega Man》。

奧斯卡得獎編劇兼監製　編成銀幕科幻傳奇

憑《有你終生美麗》贏得奧斯卡最佳編劇獎的阿基華高士文，今次擔當編劇和監製二職，原來他一直是《魔間傳奇》的忠實支持者，對這次能把它拍成電影感到很高興，他說：「李察麥法臣對我這種科幻小說迷來說就像神一樣偉大。認真的科幻小說傳統上會深入角色之中探討一些宏大的題材，以科幻故事作為寓言。這電影就是按這傳統發展出來的。」

《魔間傳奇》基本上就是一個人孤獨生存的故事。電影製作者深明電影對主角演技的要求極高，不過當他們知道韋史密夫有意參演，拍這電影最大的難題便迎刃而解。韋史密夫一向有留意這電影計劃的進展，他視飾演羅拔紐維爾這角色是個人一次挑戰和突破的機會。

阿基華高士文說：「作為編劇，我深信文字塑造角色的力量，但要交代沒有說出口的東西亦同樣重要。韋史密夫是位出色的演員，他的表現非常悅目，他的思想和情感都能從細微的一舉一動中表現出來。」

金像級巨星韋史密夫　個人演技重大突破

韋史密夫在全片大部分時間都沒有說話的對像，他必須依賴其他途徑來表達角色在情緒上的轉變。「今次演戲過程對我來說很不一樣，因為幾乎全部都要靠行為來表現。這是一次訓練我不用言語來溝通的好機會。」韋史密夫表示：「要找出不用言語溝通的方法，對我來說就是演戲的意義。假如你安靜下來一會，你會發現你的角色和你自己一些內在的特質。這是一次很好的嘗試，無論在藝術上和心理上亦然。」

首次跟韋史密夫合作的導演法蘭西斯羅倫斯，對韋史密夫的表現感到非常欣慰。「韋史密夫最吸引人之處是他很親切，很有魅力。」導演指出：「他令角色很有深度，令你看得非常投入。你會很同情他的遭遇，為他感到擔心，也會與他一起歡笑和哭泣，這就是他演技迷人之處。最重要的是，他能夠完全不用言語便表達出角色在身和心兩方面的經歷。」

對韋史密夫最好的評價，可能來自羅拔紐維爾這角色的原創者。「我相信韋史密夫就是演羅拔紐維爾的最佳人選。」作家李察麥地遜說：「我幾乎看過他所有電影，他演哪一種角色都是得心應手。在這故事中，他演的角色是關鍵人物，所以他就是電影的關鍵。」

恐怖病毒禍害全球　醫學發展潛藏危機

《魔間傳奇》的中心故事，是一個人千辛萬苦掙扎求存的故事：孤身一人面對大堆失去理智到處殺戮的「被感染者」。當他知道這個把人類推向絕種邊緣的病毒原來來自最新的醫學研究，他心裡更感沮喪。這種令全世界陷入危機中的病毒，原先被認為是一項治療癌症的醫學突破。研究過程中，逆轉病毒變成一種具高度傳染性，只能在電子顯微鏡下才能看見的病原體。

身為軍方病毒學家的紐維爾，負責帶領政府專家小組研究對付這病毒的疫苗。可惜，病毒快一步散播到空氣之中，紐約市最後宣佈封城，只有未被感染的人才准離開。在全城恐慌之中，紐維爾目睹自己的妻子和七歲大的女兒先後去世。片中飾演女兒的維露史密夫，正是韋史密夫的親生女兒。那些被感染但沒有死去的人，命運可能更加悲慘，因病毒而失衡的新陳代謝令他們變成一班可怕的獵人，在黑夜中出沒覓食。

在大災害之中，紐維爾還要負起拯救人類的職責，尋找對抗病毒的解藥。他知道自己奇蹟地對病毒帶免疫力，明白自己擁有兩件武器：他的科學知識和他帶抗體的血液。「紐維爾知道人們被一種在實驗室中變種的病毒感染。」韋史密夫解釋：「他現在就要肩負起拯救人類的重任。」

紐維爾受過的嚴格軍事訓練，令他在這廢城中生活得出奇地有規律。他的生活很有安排，要定時做運動，定時起床，每天記下日落的時間。「紐維爾是個很有紀律的人。」導演說：「這就是他在絕境中保持頭腦清醒的方法，但假如那種規律被破壞，他很可能也會隨之崩潰。」

一人享用全市資源　無人城中尋覓同伴

只有狗兒一直相伴的紐維爾，必須比感染者搶先一步。日間，他到處搜尋物資，在實驗室中播放無線電訊息，希望尋找其他生還者。入夜後，他把自己困在大樓裡，監視被感染者的一舉一動。

紐維爾在追尋解藥的時候，可以享受一定程度的自由，例如在街上橫衝直撞，在戰鬥機上揮動高爾夫球桿，為大樓添上名貴的裝飾，用地圖記下城中的食物、燃料、藥物的位置等等，他簡直就像擁有了整個城市。「當你是紐約市最後一個人，這某程度上是很有趣的，雖然這是孤獨的快樂。」導演解釋：「一些在我們生活中很重要的東西，在疫症發生後都不再一樣，那些花費千百萬元建造的東西，全都變得沒有意義，沒有用處。」

不過，這也不是全是樂事。韋史密夫也要在無人的街上疾走，凌空倒吊起二十呎，駕駛超速的車輛，與穿上動態捕捉衣服的特技人搏鬥等等。電影接二連三的動作場面，絕對使人心跳加速。

為了把動作場面拍得有聲有色，導演找來資深動作指導域岩士唐來安排片中的特技部分。域岩士唐在他四十年的專業生涯中，曾參與《職業特工隊3》、《強戰世界》、《新鐵金鋼之不日殺機》等電影的製作。身手矯健的韋史密夫在片中參與了片中不少特技場面，在開鏡前數月，他更接受了嚴格的體能訓練，令他的體格更加強健，體重減輕了20磅。

牧羊狗接受非常訓練　成為人類好伴侶

韋史密夫很多時候都會跟他的忠實狗伴侶阿森在一起，這狗主角由三歲大的德國牧羊狗艾比飾演。首席動物訓練師史提夫白朗明白，他必須訓練出一隻與別不同的牧羊狗，才能表達片中這位狗角色豐富的感情，所以他設計了一個特別的訓練計劃來鍛鍊天資不凡的艾比。

「重點是如何為狗隻作好好準備。」白朗解釋：「你要日以繼夜地訓練牠，令牠完全明白自己要在某個鏡頭該做甚麼，牠也是演員的一部分。我知道這過程很艱苦，但我要令牠覺得有趣。如果方法正確，加上愛心和獎勵的話，狗兒其實是很享受的。我要在牠身上建立出友情，然後把它帶到韋史密夫身上。他和狗兒相處得很好，人狗之間真的發展出深厚的感情。」

《無主之城》艾麗絲柏嘉　大地上另一位生還者

當紐維爾的廣播訊息終於傳到另一位生還者耳裡，所有東西亦變得不再一樣。這位生還者叫安娜，由《無主之城》的女星艾麗絲柏嘉飾演，她還帶著一位叫依頓的小孩。他倆出現的時候，紐維爾差點便墮進被感染者的圈套。「聽見紐維爾的訊息，安娜才開始感到一點希望。」巴西女星艾麗絲柏嘉解釋：「她要跟紐維爾合作，兩人走在一起會變得更強。」

艾麗絲柏嘉在奧斯卡提名傑作《無主之城》的表現，深得各方的讚賞。「我們被她在《無主之城》的表現深深吸引。」高士文說：「她有種很自然的美態和發自內心的神韻，她在電影中象徵著希望。她令紐維爾的生活更添意義。艾麗絲演這角色時很有真實感。」

雖然紐維爾多個月來一直在尋找其他生還者，但當他首次遇到二人時，卻又顯然對他們感到恐懼。「他起初不太肯定是不是真有人倖存。」韋史密夫說：「他之前一晚做了個惡夢，夢見了一些幻覺。遇見人類是他最大的期望，但他又對與別相處感到很害怕，這是很有趣的心理描寫。」

走進未來世界　2012紐約風貌

世界陷入前所未有的恐慌，只因一種治療癌症的革命性人工病毒，變種成為不受控制的微生物。導演和編劇深入研究與病毒有關的資料，並參觀過人才濟濟的美國疾病控制中心。中心批准韋史密夫、法蘭西斯羅倫斯和監製們與生化安全評級第三級區域的科學家見面，那裡存放著一些最頑強、最高傳染性的病毒。經過專業科學家的解釋，他們才明白逆轉病毒失控並不是天方夜譚，而是實實在在有可能發生的生化威脅。

電影工作人員與美國一些最頂尖的科學家會面，還有一些專門追查疫病蹤跡的「病毒獵人」。「這些經歷實在很難得。」導演表示：「我們能夠親眼看見病毒學家怎樣工作，聽聽他們對病毒世界的感想。」工作人員在多番實地考察後，積累了許多寶貴的資料。韋史密夫很高興能把這許多真實的細節套用在電影之中。「我很喜歡做研究。」韋史密夫表示：「假如不理解他的科學頭腦，要演繹紐維爾這角色是很困難的。」

疾病控制中心的專家們，還提供了關於疫症爆發時集體隔離措施的意見。紐約市政府方面，亦提供了大量援助，支持拍攝電影中一些較為爆炸性和激烈的場面，例如集體逃亡的情景和紐維爾獨自一人在城市的模樣。電影中2012年的紐約市處處有著當下紐約的影子，但導演希望把這現代化的城市，詭異地變成一個被大自然奪回控制權的地方。

美術指導妮奧米蘇欣早前已跟導演在《魔間行者》中合作無間，今次將協助導演把紐約變成一個有如伊甸園的城市。「疫病初期的城市，市面充滿著軍事和醫療工作的痕跡，有著公眾混亂過後的餘波。」妮奧米蘇欣說：「看起來跟戰爭過後沒有多大分別。其後隨著時間過去，城市變成一個帶點詩意的自然地方，跟紐維爾的絕望處境互相對照。最後，它將變成一個被大自然征服的地方。」

封鎖街道火速拍攝　紐約市政府提供協助

《魔間傳奇》的取景位置分佈紐約多個地方，在名店林立的第五街拍攝那一段尤其困難。拍攝期間，所有行人和車輛都不准進入該處，市政府動用了大批交通指導員和警察在場指揮。

對韋史密夫來說，要把一個如此繁忙的地區清場，感覺特別深刻。「你知道你一生人也不會看見一個空無一人的紐約。」他解釋：「這樣的情景實在太震憾了。我們在第五區清場後，知道我們實在做了一件從來沒有人做過的事。」

導演亦同意韋史密夫的意見，他表示：「拍攝第五街實在令人難忘。神奇的是拍攝時旁觀的途人都默不作聲。看著攝影機的熒光幕，韋史密夫在空盪盪的街上獨自行走的情景實在很震憾。我一叫『Cut』，四周的人便傳來熱烈的掌聲，大家在拍攝時都很合作，沒有人拍照或騷擾，實在很奇妙。我們在那裡拍了一整天，所有人都很尊重我們的工作，我實在非常感激。」

I AM LEGEND

"My name is Robert Neville. I am a survivor living in New York City. If there is anybody out there…anybody. Please. You are not alone."

Robert Neville (Will Smith) is a brilliant scientist, but even he could not contain the terrible virus that was unstoppable, incurable, and man-made. Somehow immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and maybe the world. For three years, Neville has faithfully sent out daily radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But he is not alone. Mutant victims of the plague-The Infected-lurk in the shadows…watching Neville's every move…waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. Perhaps mankind's last, best hope, Neville is driven by only one remaining mission: to find a way to reverse the effects of the virus using his own immune blood. But he knows he is outnumbered…and quickly running out of time.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Weed Road/Overbrook Entertainment Production, "I Am Legend," starring two-time Oscar nominee Will Smith ("The Pursuit of Happyness," "Ali"), Alice Braga and Dash Mihok. The film is directed by Francis Lawrence. The screenplay is by Mark Protosevich and Akiva Goldsman, based on the novel by Richard Matheson. Akiva Goldsman, James Lassiter, David Heyman and Neal Moritz are the producers, with Michael Tadross, Erwin Stoff, Dana Goldberg and Bruce Berman serving as executive producers, and Tracy Torme co-producing.

The behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Andrew Lesnie, production designer Naomi Shohan, editor Wayne Wahrman, costume designer Michael Kaplan, and composer James Newton Howard.

"I Am Legend" will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

www.iamlegendmovie.com

REIMAGINING THE LEGEND

Will Smith, the star of such films as "I, Robot," "Independence Day" and "Men in Black," is no stranger to science fiction and has long had an affinity for Richard Matheson's timeless novel, I Am Legend. "There are so many genres within it: horror, science fiction, and this wonderful character piece," the actor says. "The psychology of being the last man on Earth has always intrigued me. The physical, emotional and spiritual lengths that Robert Neville has to go to just to survive present a beautiful opportunity to tell a universal story about the nature of humanity."

Francis Lawrence, the director of the new science fiction action thriller based on Matheson's tale, adds, "The idea of a man surviving cut off and alone in a modern urban environment was fascinating to me and one that I wanted to explore on film. 'I Am Legend' is the quintessential story of one man against the world, which is one reason why it continues to capture people's imaginations more than half a century after it was first written."

Complex and provocative, Matheson's 1954 novel, widely recognized as a primer for the modern-day horror-science fiction genre, has influenced generations, inspired countless imitators and spawned two prior movie adaptations: 1964's "The Last Man on Earth," starring Vincent Price, and 1971's "The Omega Man," starring Charlton Heston.

Screenwriter/producer Akiva Goldsman, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of "A Beautiful Mind" and a self-proclaimed lifelong fan of the author, says that he relished the opportunity to reimagine "I Am Legend" for the screen. "Richard Matheson is like a god to those of us who are science fiction geeks. There is a tradition within serious science fiction of reaching deeply into the roots of character to explore powerful themes-the idea of using science fiction as allegory. This film really grows from that ethic."

Goldsman worked from the initial adaptation of Matheson's seminal novel by Mark Protosevich, which had been one of the most coveted scripts in recent years. Protosevich relates, "This has been a passion project of mine for over a decade now, and I was thrilled to finally see it being made, especially with this level of talent on both sides of the camera."

"I Am Legend" tells a story almost entirely centered around a man living a solitary existence. The filmmakers knew the demanding role would require a high-caliber actor, and when they learned that Will Smith had an interest in the role, the main element of the project clicked into place. Smith, along with producer James Lassiter, his partner at Overbrook Entertainment, had been keeping tabs on the project's development over the years. He regarded playing the role of Robert Neville-a character who occupies the screen virtually alone for almost all of the film-as both a challenge and an opportunity.

Goldsman remarks, "As a writer, I believe greatly in the ability of the written word to describe and generate a character. But, ultimately, what is equally important is the ability to convey what is unspoken. Will is such a fine actor; he delivered an extraordinary performance wherein many of his thoughts and emotions are entirely conveyed through his expressions and behavior."

With no one to talk to through much of the film, Smith had to rely on other forms of expression to portray the emotional range of Neville's journey. "The process was very different for me because it's all behavior. It's just an incredible exercise to not be able to talk yet have to communicate," he offers. "To have to figure out how to communicate without words-for me, it's the center of what acting is. When you just go quiet for a while, you start to discover a whole range of things about your character and yourself. It's a fascinating place to explore, both artistically and psychologically."

Making his first film with Smith, Francis Lawrence found a sound anchor for the emotional story arc at the heart of the adventure. "What's fantastic about Will is that he has such a warmth and charisma to him," notes the director. "He brings so many dimensions to his role and takes you along with him at every moment. There's real sympathy for him, you're scared for him, you laugh with him and you cry with him…and all those layers exist at once in his performance. Most importantly in this role, he is able to convey everything he is going through, both physically and emotionally, often without any dialogue at all."

Perhaps the greatest compliment to Smith came from the man who first created the character of Robert Neville. "I think Will Smith is the perfect person to portray Robert Neville," author Richard Matheson states. "I've seen almost every film he has made, and he is always totally convincing in whatever role he is playing. In this story, his character is key and, therefore, he is key."

LIVING JUST ENOUGH FOR THE CITY

At the core of "I Am Legend" is one man's struggle to survive against seemingly insurmountable odds: alone and surrounded by "the Infected"-monstrous beings who kill without thought or rationale. His situation is made worse by the knowledge that it was instigated by his own kind. The roots of the pandemic that wiped out civilization and left Neville isolated and in a constant state of peril emerged from what was initially hailed as a breakthrough in modern medicine: a man-made retrofitted virus developed to combat one of history's most deadly diseases, cancer. But the initial success of the retrovirus was soon met with unimaginable repercussions-a highly infectious pathogen visible only through the lens of an electron microscope.

Neville, a military virologist based in Manhattan, spearheaded the government's attempt to find a vaccine to combat the pandemic. But in spite of their efforts, the virus went airborne and the city was subsequently locked down with only the uninfected allowed to evacuate. In the resulting panic, Neville witnesses the tragic deaths of his wife Zoe (Salli Richardson-Whitfield) and daughter Marley, played by 7-year-old Willow Smith, who makes her feature debut opposite her real-life father.

Those of the Infected who didn't succumb to the virus were perhaps dealt a worse fate: their ravaged metabolism transforming them into pale, hypo-atrophied carnivores who dwell in the darkness of the city's vast underground, emerging from the shadows, driven by a singular, primal hunger.

In the aftermath of the catastrophe, Neville is also driven, but his need is to find a cure for the cataclysmic affliction. Somehow immune to the virus, he knows he has two weapons at his disposal-his scientific training and his own blood. "Neville knows these beings are infected with a virus that is a mutation of what was created in a lab," Smith relates. "Now he has been put in this position of being a lone survivor after being the one who, in his mind, couldn't save mankind."

Neville's experience as a military scientist also defines the way he chooses to live his life in the abandoned city. His approach is highly regimented, from the exhaustive physical conditioning to the setting of the daily alarm marking the exact time of sundown. "Neville is a very disciplined man," comments Lawrence. "It's what keeps him as sane as possible in a situation like this. His choices are extreme, but if that routine were to start to break down, it's very possible that he would fall apart."

With only the companionship of his dog, Sam, Neville struggles to keep himself one step ahead of the Infected. By day, he and Sam subsist by scavenging for supplies, working in the lab and broadcasting daily radio messages in hopes of finding other survivors. By night, they barricade themselves in a reinforced brownstone monitoring the Infected as they hunt and forage through the city streets, sniffing out any hint of prey.

As Neville marks time with various activities and duties, he also experiences a certain freedom. Whether joyriding through the streets, working on his golf swing atop a fighter jet, decorating his impregnable brownstone with priceless treasures, or cataloguing the city's vast food, gas and medical supplies with an intricate mapping system, Neville has free reign of the city's resources.

"When you're the last man alone in New York, there's some fun to be had, albeit lonely fun," says Lawrence. "We see these elements that seem so important to the world we live in, but after the pandemic happens and the world as we know it goes away, things that we spend so much time, energy and billions of dollars building are just sitting there rotting. They're absolutely useless."

"Neville has access to virtually anything," comments Smith. "There's a medical supply; he knows where canned goods are, where gasoline storage is. He uses the entire city as his home. And there's nothing like standing up on top of an aircraft carrier with a golf club."

It was not all fun and games, however. Sprinting down abandoned streets, hanging upside down twenty feet in the air, maneuvering a speeding Ford Mustang, leaping atop rusted vehicles and fighting stuntmen garbed in motion capture visual effect suits to portray the Infected are only a sampling of what Smith endured to accomplish the film's heart-pounding action scenes.

To choreograph these sequences, the filmmakers brought in veteran stunt coordinator Vic Armstrong and his accomplished stunt unit. Armstrong's 40-year career most recently includes such action-centered films as "Mission Impossible III," "War of the Worlds" and "Die Another Day."

Knowing Smith's ease at injecting physicality into his performances-whether fashioning the building blocks of a character or participating in key action sequences-the filmmakers welcomed the actor's hands-on approach to stuntwork. Months prior to filming, Smith began a nutrition and fitness program that yielded a leaner, trimmer physique. Working with longtime physical fitness trainer Darrell Foster, who years earlier had transformed him for his Academy Award-nominated turn in "Ali," Smith dropped 20 pounds on a regimen every bit as strenuous as Neville's own. Cites Foster, "We put him in desperate straits-high-altitude training for oxygen deprivation, heat, cold, humidity, low-caloric intake and many other adverse conditions. It helped him develop the mental aspects of his character as well as the physical."

By contrast, training with weapons advisor Sam Glen to handle Neville's specially modified rifle and was far easier on the actor, who had handled firearms on previous films.

IF THERE IS ANYONE OUT THERE…

Smith spends the most time onscreen opposite Neville's constant companion, a dog named Sam, portrayed in the film, primarily, by a three-year-old German Shepard named Abbey. Head animal trainer Steve Berens, whose motion picture credits include "Click" and "The Mask," understood that expectations were high for him to elicit a full range of emotions from his charge. Confidence in Abbey's innate ability coupled with a specific training regimen shaped the trainer's approach to eliciting a strong performance from his canine actor.

"It all lies in how you prepare the animal," Berens explains. "You train them day after day so that when they get on set for that particular shot, they understand and are committed to the whole situation; they're in the game. We know it's work, but the whole idea is to make it fun. If you do it correctly, with love and positive reinforcement, they truly enjoy it. It's about creating a camaraderie with your dog and then passing that on to the actor. And Will was terrific with Abbey. They really developed their own bond."

Everything about Neville's existence changes when his daily broadcast is finally heard by other survivors: a woman named Anna, played by Alice Braga (pronounced A-lee-cee), and a child, Ethan, played by Charlie Tahan. The two turn up unexpectedly just as Neville has walked into a trap set by the Infected. "I think that hearing Neville's message is the moment that Anna begins to believe there is hope, that there are people out there in the world," relates Brazilian-born actress Alice Braga. "This man is alive, and Anna makes the decision to go save him, even if the Infected are around. Trusting the unknown is what starts her journey of hope in the film. They need to connect and be strong together."

The filmmakers cast Braga on the heels of her performance in the Academy Award-nominated "City of God." "We were so taken with her performance in 'City of God,'" recalls Goldsman. "Alice has a natural beauty and an innate compassion that is evident. There's a glow about her that is palpable; she generates a sense of wellbeing, which is important because Anna represents hope in the movie. She gives Neville something to reach out for again, and I think Alice brings that quality to her character very authentically."

For many months, Neville had been desperately trying to find human survivors, but at the moment when he encounters the first two human beings he has seen in years, the conflict between needing human contact and fearing it becomes all-too-clear. "At first he's not certain they're actually there," says Smith. "The previous night he had an awful hallucination so there's an uncertainty in what he's seeing. It's his deepest desire, his greatest dream, but the second he's free to have that contact, there is a huge rejection of it. That dichotomy is a wonderful psychological place to explore as an actor."

Braga derived considerable insight into the role of Anna by delving into research about survivors of horrors from Katrina to the Holocaust. "How do people keep walking and keep living after something like that?" she proposes. "The more I read, the more I understood that it's not about having religion, it's about having hope. My character has belief and hope still inside her even after all she has seen. I learned a lot about life through this search for Anna."

Neville is immediately struck by Anna's profound conviction in God even when faced with his own embittered disavowal of a higher power. "Anna always struggles to keep moving," says Braga. "Her desire to stay alive and her hope for something more drives her, especially in reference to Ethan, the little boy. Will's character is big and strong; it's easier for him to survive than a girl and a young boy. When she finds him, she sees from looking around his house that he is just struggling to survive, so she makes the decision to trust him and believe that he can be someone to live with in this crazy world."

At the age of nine, Charlie Tahan was cast in the role of Ethan, a young survivor who is traveling with Anna. Tahan, who has appeared in numerous television commercials, makes his feature film debut in "I Am Legend." "Ethan is really quiet because his real family is gone and he has seen really bad things," says Tahan. "The streets are empty and there's nobody else around except the creatures. At first, he doesn't trust Neville much. He's not sure if Neville is bad or one of the Infected. Neville knows Ethan doesn't trust him so he tries to make him laugh. Even when we weren't on the set, Will could make me laugh a lot."

Finding Anna and Ethan and hearing their incredible tale of survival gives Neville a taste of hope. Smith offers, "It's the classic human struggle with faith and science. Anna is speaking from a distinctly Judeo-Christian background, but the ideas of spirituality are universal. Everyone who loses people they love asks those questions and goes through stages of belief and lack of belief and fear and anger with God…all of that. And given the losses that Neville has endured and the circumstances of his life, he has every reason to ask what kind of god would allow this type of suffering?"

NEW YORK: CIRCA 2012

"…And make no mistake, My Fellow Americans, we are at war for our very survival. And so it is with great sadness but greater resolve that tonight I have signed an executive order quarantining New York City. God be with us…"

-- Radio message from the President of the United States

The catalyst for the circumstances of Neville's life is a manmade virus, born out of a revolutionary cure for cancer that then morphed into an unstoppable infectious microorganism. It sent the filmmakers on a research expedition into the science surrounding the complex study of viruses and virology. Their research began with tutorials from the discipline's top educators and culminated with a visit to the Center for Disease Control. The CDC granted Smith, Lawrence and the producers the rare opportunity to meet with its scientists working within its Biosafety Level (BSL) 3 labs, which contain some of the world's most deadly and virulent contagions. It was there where they began to understand that the possibility of a retrovirus spiraling out of control is no longer just the fodder for science fiction stories but is all-too-plausible.

Goldsman comments, "There's a realization that some viruses are quite possibly at the top of the 'food chain.' It's humbling and terrifying to see how durable and profoundly impactful one mutated virus can be."

The filmmakers gained access to some of the nation's top virologists, from microbiologists working in high level biohazard labs to the "virus hunters," who venture out to hot spots around the world seeking answers to the next potentially lethal pandemic. "It was fascinating," notes Lawrence. "We were able to see firsthand how a virologist thinks and how they view the world of viruses."

From Neville's adherence to safety protocols to laboratory schematics mirroring the CDC's actual labs, the filmmakers were able to garner a wealth of information for the project. Smith was particularly grateful for the opportunity to apply so much practical research into building his character. "I love doing research," he notes. "It's difficult to deliver a character like Neville emotionally when you don't understand the science that drives him."

The experts at the CDC also provided invaluable insight into the components and ethics of mass evacuations and quarantines. In addition, New York's city, state and federal agencies lent their expertise to the filmmakers to orchestrate some of the film's more explosive and dramatic sequences, including those of chaos in the streets, as well as scenes in which Neville is completely alone in the once-bustling city.

The New York City of the film's 2012 setting is an awe-inspiring shadow of the metropolis we know today. The filmmakers wanted to avoid the standard sci-fi concept of burned-out urban blight, and instead create a degrading snapshot of a moment in time-quarantined buildings, looted businesses, biohazard warnings, and a gridlocked traffic jam of now-empty cars-all being taken over by a tangle of overgrown foliage and resurgent wildlife. It was Francis Lawrence who conceived of the eerie starkness of a Manhattan that had literally become an urban jungle, reclaimed by nature.

Production designer Naomi Shohan, who previously collaborated with Lawrence on "Constantine," helped conceptualize his Eden-esque take on the city. "The visual result of the initial pandemic is a city littered with the detritus of emergency response actions, military and medical, and the chaos of a frantic population," describes Shohan. "The look is not significantly distinguishable from the ravages of war. Then moving forward in time allowed us to transform the landscape and give it a poetry that played well against Neville's desperate situation. Eventually, it becomes a city that has been transformed by imploding infrastructure and uninhibited nature."

Together with her art department, Shohan did extensive research to approximate the end results of the various scenarios that the city would have faced, including the sudden cessation of water and power and the growth rates of the vegetation, as well as animals and insects. "Ruptures in the water mains would have opened sinkholes, swallowing streets and parts of buildings," she describes. "Fires from electricity and gas would have taken more, and irrepressible nature would have begun to reclaim her place. Suddenly, instead of streets full of medical and military litter, the great canyons of New York City would begin to resemble certain romantic visions of the American West depicted by 19th-century painters. We arrived at a kind of timelessness; the hardness and grit of the city, once engulfed by nature, becomes a sensual landscape."

In concert with that vision, Lawrence comments, "I wanted to take a naturalistic approach to filming this movie. I wanted to shoot here on the streets of New York in broad daylight and in real places. It informs performances and informs our shot choices."

The director looked to Oscar-winning cinematographer Andrew Lesnie ("The Lord of the Rings" trilogy) to evoke the simplicity of emotion he envisioned for Neville and his world. "We really tried to focus on using the camera to make sure that we feel what Neville's feeling, whether it's loneliness or fun or darkness. Andrew really helped make the camera a vehicle for the emotional value of every scene," Lawrence relates.

Along with the inner journey, the camera would need to record high throttle action of Neville's life on the edge that, in some cases, would be augmented with visual effects. Filming at odd hours on weekends to avoid the city's trademark throngs of people, the action unit still had early-risers stopping in their tracks to aim their camera-phones at the spectacle. One of the most notable sequences involved Neville racing a modified Mustang Shelby through a gauntlet of abandoned vehicles and obstacles littered throughout the city streets, which was shot over a month of weekends at locations around the city.

It was a formidable logistical challenge to film the bulk of a movie in which the central character is living a solitary existence in one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Yet the filmmakers were insistent on staying true to the location. "You can't fake New York," asserts New York-based executive producer Michael Tadross. "It has a unique backdrop, and we were lucky enough to film in places where no one had filmed before."

Liaising with government agencies on all levels, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Office of Film and Television, Tadross and location manager Paul Kramer each played a role in securing some of the busiest and most iconic locales. The production team was granted unprecedented access to some of the city's landmark locations. Additionally, they were allowed-for short periods of times and on off-hours-to clear entire city blocks to effect an area devoid of people, save Robert Neville. Even the briefest exterior shot required the area to undergo a transformation that included dressing the location with abandoned cars, crumbling building facades, and artificial plants, shrubs and weeds laid into cracked pavement, with a layer of muck completing the patina of decay.

"We never did anything in a small way on this movie. Every time we hit the street it was big because of the post-apocalyptic setting. We could never utilize the existing environment as it was. The world we created was quite unlike anything the city had seen before. It was quite a challenge every place we went," recalls Kramer.

The list of New York locations for "I Am Legend" tapped into all the diverse and eclectic neighborhoods within three of the city's five boroughs, from the Grand Central Terminal, the Flatiron Building flanking Madison Square Park, Washington Square Park and the trendy streets of TriBeCa, to the Meatpacking district, Columbus Circle, and Chinatown.

Filming over the course of several weekends on the luxury-shopping thoroughfare of Fifth Avenue proved to be one of the most challenging locations. The complete halt of foot and car traffic from Madison and Sixth Avenues, which flank Fifth Avenue to the stretch of road from 57th to 49th, involved hundreds of production assistants, traffic agents and local law enforcement.

For Smith, clearing out such a busy locale was awe-inspiring. "You realize that in your entire life you've never seen an empty picture of New York," he explains. "It's a powerful image. When we cleared out that section of Fifth Avenue, it became really clear that we were doing something unprecedented."

Lawrence concurs, noting "Fifth Avenue was quite an experience. The amazing thing was everybody was quiet as we rolled. Watching the video monitor, I would get caught up in the dialogue and the sight of Will walking up an empty Fifth Avenue. Then, as soon as I yelled 'Cut,' you just heard a roar of applause from the thousands of people lined up on the opposite side of the street for blocks. Nobody took pictures or made a sound during takes. It was incredible. We did that all day long and it was unbelievable how respectful everybody in the city was that day. We really appreciated it."

OPERATION "I AM LEGEND"

In a stark contrast to the emptiness of the post-pandemic Manhattan, thousands of actors and extras packed the streets to evoke the panic and chaos of the earlier quarantine and evacuation of the city. Three months of preparations included securing permits through dozens of agencies and maneuvering a maze of stringent guidelines to coordinate the logistics involved with flying multiple aircraft to and from a water-based film set.

The majority of the scene plays out on a pier at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge. However, as much as that prime location offered Lawrence a stunning backdrop of the New York skyline, it did not offer an actual pier. With the cooperation of almost a dozen city, state and federal agencies, from the NYPD Aviation unit to the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Environmental Conservation, production brought in a barge and anchored it to the riverbed with a gangway to the shoreline, creating a de facto pier.

Production's lighting department then began a week-long process of laying down cable and rigging the Brooklyn Bridge, as well as the barge and surrounding streets, with dozen of lights to illuminate the normally dark stretch of street beneath the FDR expressway.

Several days prior to filming, military equipment began to arrive, arranged by military and weapons consultant Sam Glen, who proved indispensable to the production. Working closely with the U.S. military was vital to the success of filming the sequence.

Filmed over six nights near the South Street Seaport, the intricate action sequence encompassed dozens of pieces of military air and ground equipment, including a New York National Guard Black Hawk and Coast Guard H-65 Dolphin helicopters, Humvees and armored Stryker assault vehicles (the newest addition to the U.S. arsenal). Large and small water craft, provided for in partnership with the U.S. Army and Coast Guard, all played a part in the scene and ensured the safety of the thousands of actors, extras, filmmakers and crew who were present on the waterfront. Over 150 military personnel were on hand-both in front of the camera and behind it-operating the equipment used to film the sequence.

"Everybody agreed it was important to use real troops in the scenes, for their expertise and for authenticity's sake," says Glen. "New York's famous 69th Infantry Division, under authority from the Department of Defense, was kind enough to allow us to hire their troops on off-duty status as background extras. They are trained for urban peacekeeping so it adds another layer of realism to everything."

While Lawrence was committed to as much practical filming as possible, CGI was needed to augment both the sprawling vision of an abandoned city and the Infected who have taken it over. Oscar-winning visual effects supervisor Janek Sirrs ("The Matrix" trilogy) was charged with creating the Infected, who are carnivorous shells of what once had been human beings. Sirrs and her team brought the creatures to life via digital character creation and motion capture technology. Stunt performers wore specialized suits equipped with markers that allowed their movements to be replicated in the computer. Visual effects makeup was also incorporated to complete the effect.

The Kingsbridge Armory, a former National Guard armory in the Bronx, provided the cavernous backdrop for much of the visual effects work, but most notably for the Times Square set rendered unrecognizable in a sea of green grass. Production also took over the 100,000-square-foot interior of the Marcy Avenue Armory in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. The facility housed the four sets comprising Neville's reinforced lair, a four-story brownstone, the exterior of which was filmed in Washington Square Park.

Neville's bunker, where Neville, Alice and Ethan barricade themselves against the Infected, was conceived and designed by Naomi Shohan. The designs were further enhanced by special effects supervisor Conrad Brink, who added multiple hydraulic rigs and pressurized air cannons to literally shake the building to its foundations as explosions erupt around the brownstone.

For all the intense action and innovative visual effects that went into the production of "I Am Legend," Goldsman still finds the most powerful and compelling aspect of the film to be the inner journey of its main character. "It's really a story of loss," he says. "It's about what happens when we lose that which we love. Our supposition was simply that when you experience catastrophic loss, the world stands still. And in order to express that dramatically we created a world standing still. It's also a story about rebirth, and what you need to do to heal. It may be science fiction, but it's a story that any of us can empathize with."

Will Smith echoes the dualistic nature of the film as both an epic science fiction thriller and the emotional journey of a human being. "It's layered, and you just continue to peel each layer," he says. "And it's interesting when you start to get down to the fourth and fifth layers where it's a little more oblique and people can draw their own conclusions. This film is an experience. and hopefully it will be a cathartic one for the audience. Of course, we want it to be exciting, but it also brings up thoughts and questions. That's the line we wanted to walk with this movie."

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