Will Smith is to star in Warner Bros' adaptation of I Am Legend, based on the classic science-fiction novel by Richard Matheson. The book has been filmed twice before, as The Last Man on Earth in 1964 and the Charlton Heston thriller The Omega Man in 1971.

Despite this, the Warner version has suffered a long and chequered development process. It was originally to have been directed by Ridley Scott back in 1997, with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the leading role. The film will now be directed by Francis (Constantine) Lawrence.

Set in a post-apocalyptic USA, I Am Legend tells the tale of a lone survivor in a world infected by a virus that has turned the population into vampires. As the infected inhabitants begin to build a new society, the hero slowly realises that it is he who has become the monster.

Production on the film is set to begin in the autumn, after Smith has finished work on the superhero drama Tonight He Comes.