The Protogy

I AM LEGEND

by

John Logan

September 8, 1997

What's so surprising that I crawl.

I descended from the worm just like you.

What's so surprising that I eat glass

and dance on fire.

--Felix Morisseau-Leroy

FADE IN:

INT. MOTEL ROOM - DESERT - DAY

Rainfall. Violent and unrelenting.

The rain pounds a fearsome rhythm on the windows of a motel

room.

ROBERT NEVILLE is on the phone, pacing, waiting. Tense.

Neville is a fit, handsome and methodical man. He is also,

as we shall see, a very resourceful man.

As he paces we see he is in a clean motel room, a breakfast

tray is on a table. We see a briefcase open on the desk next

to long plastic tubes for blueprints.

Finally:

NEVILLE

(on phone)

Yes, Dr. Madden this is Robert

Neville, I... I understand that...

my wife, Virginia Neville is...

yes...

(a flash of concern

crosses his face)

... I'll be there in the morning.

He hangs up.

He hesitates for a moment, unsure of exactly what to do next.

Then he grabs his briefcase and blueprint tubes and goes.

EXT. DESERT CONSTRUCTION SITE - DAY

The almost blinding downpour allows us a strange view of a

large industrial construction site in the desert. Huge

earth-moving machines, cranes and bulldozers dot the sodden

landscape.

TITLE: FALL 1998

We see day laborers and construction workers huddling under

the gigantic machines as they try to stay out of the rain,

packed together like tiny animals in the shadow of the

dinosaurs.

But there is something immediately wrong about this scene.

There should be more workers on a project this big.

INT. CONSTRUCTION SHED - DAY

Neville is standing in the high-tech construction shed. He

is the architect of this project.

Neville stands with a grave expression, his arms folded,

watching TV.

His Chief Engineer, DOMINGO, sits nearby and eats a sandwich.

On the TV:

A LOCAL WASHINGTON REPORTER is standing in front of the White

House, the flag at half mast:

LOCAL WASHINGTON REPORTER

The First Lady was buried in a brief

ceremony at Arlington National

Cemetery and then the President and

the remaining members of the Cabinet

met with the CDC Emergency Response

Team to coordinate...

The CONSTRUCTION FOREMAN enters, shaking off rain, and goes

to Domingo:

FOREMAN

Dom, I gotta know where to assign

the men. We don't have enough to do

both the water conduits and the --

DOMINGO

(to Neville)

Bob?

Neville doesn't turn from the TV.

DOMINGO

(to Foreman)

I'll be right out.

FOREMAN

We're never gonna meet the contract

deadline if we don't --

DOMINGO

Go on, I'll be right out.

The Foreman goes.

DOMINGO

Bob?

Neville turns off the TV. The only sound is the pounding of

the rain.

Neville's back is to Domingo.

A

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