Warner Bros. sparked a development project for prequel to the Will Smith starrer I Am Legend.

The plan is for Smith to bring back his role as scientist Robert Neville with Francis Lawrence returning to direct.

The studio has set D.B.Weiss to write a script that is based on a detailed outline that was hatched over the past few months by Smith, his producing partners and Lawrence.

Variety reports the prequel will chronicle the final days of humanity in New York before a man-made virus caused a plague that left Smith’s character the lone survivor among a mutated mob in the city.

Producing a prequel is the only way to extend I Am Legend franchise that grossed $584 million worldwide for Warner Bros. and maintain Smith in the lead role. To refresh your memory, his character was killed in the first film, after extracting a potential cure for the virus for the scattered survivors.