Which actor played the title character in the 2007 film I Am Legend?

Will Smith played the title character, Robert Neville, in the 2007 film I Am Legend.

The film is set in a largely abandoned New York City after a genetically engineered virus kills most humans and transforms many survivors into hostile nocturnal creatures. Neville, a scientist and military virologist, believes he may be the last uninfected human in the city.

Directed by Francis Lawrence, the movie is the third major film adaptation of Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel I Am Legend. Earlier adaptations include The Last Man on Earth (1964), starring Vincent Price, and The Omega Man (1971), starring Charlton Heston.

Although the creatures are commonly grouped with movie zombies, I Am Legend presents them as infected beings with intelligence, social organization, and sensitivity to sunlight. The theatrical ending differs from an alternate ending released with home-video editions, which changes how the creatures and Neville’s actions are interpreted.