The director allegedly would have reinvented Schwarzenegger through the character, demonstrating the actor's persistent affinity for action, while also showcasing his dramatic chops in an emotionally intense role. At the same time, it would have been Schwarzenegger's first collaboration with Ridley Scott. The action icon was already parodying himself in comedies such as Kindergarten Cop and Junior.
Like Charlton Heston in Omega Man, Schwarzenegger might have brought a more jovial, fun energy to Neville's character. Although the studio considered Tom Cruise, Michael Douglas, and other A-listers for the part, the first choice for Scott's version of the character was Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 1997, Will Smith was fresh off the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and had not yet solidified himself as a bankable action hero. Perhaps the greatest difference between Scott's I Am Legend and the 2007 film that hit theaters, though, would be the star picked to play Robert Neville.
Sadly, the CGI Darkseekers did not end up looking as enthralling-or believable-as Gillis and Woodruff's designs and their uninspiring appearance actually ended up as one of the film's worst qualities. Come 2007, however, CGI was the mainstream method for creating movie monsters, and the digital Darkseekers solidified I Am Legend as less of a horror film and more of a generic action movie. This would have given Scott's I Am Legend a classic zombie-horror movie feel, much like the iconic work of George Romero. Any of those three approaches, however, would have relied on practical effects rather than CGI. The designers mention that, at the time they were making these Darkseeker models, they didn't know whether they would be implemented in the film as bodysuits, prosthetics, or animatronics. That queue along with the application of the makeup on actual models' faces further emphasizes the uncanny humanity still lingering in the Darkseekers' eyes. Gillis and Woodruff also say that Scott advised them to look at 17th-century wax sculptures for inspiration. The artists explain that they covered the Darkseekers with a silicone membrane, making them appear scrawny to the point of translucence. In the images, one can see the attention that Gillis and Woodruff put into the Darkseekers' decaying teeth, pale veins, and rotting skin. However, the physical sculptures offer additional depth and texture to the beings. Like Scott and Despretz's sketches, the prosthetic Darkseekers appear as walking, bony corpses.
In 2012, ADI released a video with Gillis and Woodruff sharing pictures of their designs, and the results are appropriately terrifying.
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