If memory serves, it all started with an I Am Legend crew hat. I saw an auction listing on eBay, and decided I needed it for the Archive. Fortunately, I wasn't outbid at the last second (in the days before I had adopted using a last-minute sniping tool).
After I received it, I wrote to the seller to thank them, and inquire if they had anything else from the film. The seller told me what her role was on the crew, and said she thought she still had her original script. I asked if she'd be interested in selling that, and a short time later I had it in my possession.
Not too long after receiving it, I received a message from the seller telling me that she found some additional scripts, if I was interested. Needless to say, when she made me an offer I couldn't refuse, I took them all.
Less than a month after the first draft, a full Blue revision updated the screenplay credits to not only list Protosevich first, but highlights that his draft was based on the Matheson novel and the screenplay to The Omega Man by John William Corrington & Joyce H. Corrington — an important distinction to anyone who believes the filmmakers returned to the novel as the primary source — remaking The Omega Man was always front and center (hence the final screen credit as well). It also references previous revisions by John Logan, and Neal Jimenez (and twice more Mark Protosevich), before crediting the current revisions to Goldsman. I have a John Logan screenplay, but I've not had any luck tracking down any drafts credited to Jimenez. The Archive is also missing Tracy Torme's draft, which, while not referenced on this script, his involvement is certainly suggested by the presence of his co-producer credit on the finished film. I did have an opportunity to discuss it with him briefly, and he mentioned that he was the one to bring the dog back from the novel. Something that had been absent since The Last Man on Earth.
I also received a copy of the full Pink script that followed less than a week later.
Starting with this script, revised pages were collated with the current full version (so my complete Yellow script has the Green revised pages inserted within it).
I never thought about just how many revisions would require different colored sheets for revisions. Goldenrod, sure. But Buff?
Salmon, Cherry and Tan?
Is Orchard even a color?
Bellini (peach), Blue Marlin, Greyhound, Pumpkin Martini, Absolut Amore, MIdori Sour, and Rose Bambi. At this point, it's easy to imagine what inspired the alcoholic beverage variations...
Lava Flow and Bailey's Irish Cream led us to Purple Chicken(?) and Pink Panther pages.
And it still continued. I have a few Grasshopper pages and even Smurf revisions, though all of those (and the Pink Panther pages) are all printed on white paper. It was a wonder that there was any colored paper left in the world at all by the time they got to these revisions.
The crew member also included a crew list, with everyone's contact info (I promised not to share any such info, and for that reason I've blurred out even the outdated information in the image below).
Of even greater interest was a preliminary schedule corresponding to the 8/8/2006 Blue Script.
Now, if you've read this far, you're probably curious about the changes to the screenplay as it evolved through so many revisions. I am working on an article for bare•bones that will document that, though one thing I will share right now — Neville is alive at the end in every one of them.
I'm very thankful that this particular crew member hooked me up with so many important documents for the Archive!
Check back next week, as I reveal even more treasures from the I Am Legend Archive!
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