Commentary: Trek Stars 37: That One Where Lassie Got Bit by a Vampire

Matheson, Part 3: I Am Legend. At the age of 28, Richard Matheson published the novel that would later be considered his masterpiece, I Am Legend. The story follows the only survivor in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by vampires. The book was adapted into three films over the span of 43 years. The first, in 1964, was Sidney Salkow’s The Last Man on Earth, starring Vincent Price. The second, in 1971, was Boris Sagal’s The Omega Man, starring Charlton Heston. And the third, in 2007, was Francis Lawrence’s I Am Legend, starring Will Smith. This week, Mike and Max are joined by Ben Munaretto to discuss Matheson’s novel and all three adaptations. We look at the historical significance of the book, the accuracy of the first adaptation, the liberties taken by the second adaptation, the changes made to the ending of the third adaptation, and Steven Seagal’s ancestry.