Happy Simpleton asked earlier this week what upcoming films we were excited about. Well, I wouldn’t say I’m terribly excited about it, but I am cautiously looking forward to I Am Legend, which is due out late this year. Here’s the trailer, which amazingly manages not to spoil too much.

The 1954 novel I Am Legend by Richard Matheson is a very good read, and puts an interesting slant on the post-apocalypse genre. Like a lot of early horror and sci-fi stories, It’s also got a great Twilight Zone-esque twist ending. (In fact, many of Matheson’s stories were adapted into Twilight Zone episodes. He wrote one of my favorite sci-fi short stories, “Death Ship,” which was rewritten as a fairly forgettable TZ episode.)

I Am Legend has been adapted (at least) twice for film already: The Last Man on Earth, starring VIncent Price in the lead role, and The Omega Man, starring Charleton Heston. I’ve seen Last Man and found it moderately enjoyable, although it’s hard to watch Vincent Price without picturing him seated next to a fireplace introducing PBS’ Mystery.

I don’t hold out much hope that the new film version of I Am Legend will be terribly good or faithful to the novel. But it’s summertime, and you’re probably looking for some good summer reading, right? You could do a lot worse than picking up Matheson’s original novel before the movie comes along in December. I reckon you’ve got a good month or two before a movie trailer is released that completely spoils every element of the story…