Should be titled "I, Will Smith"

Rating: 8/10 (16 September 2009)

Many people don't realize this isn't new. Isaac Asimov copyrighted this story originally as four short stories in 1950. Isaac and Harlan Ellison were good friends that frequently read each others works. Isaac dreamed of having this story made into a movie and asked Harlan to write the screenplay, which he did, and after several rewrites, he sent the final draft to Isaac in 1978. Between these two great authors, and after being lied to by that "jerk Bob Shapiro, head of Warner Bros." the movie was never made, even after three more re-writes. But, as Harlan points out, two things stood in the way of getting the movie made: 1-this was post-Star Wars with new movie tech that would make the movie possible, however, as Jules Renard (1864-1910) said, "Writing is an occupation in which you have to keep proving your talent to people who have none"; and 2-Warner Bros. bought the rights to the screenplay, but studio jerk Shapiro took a meeting with Harlan in which Harlan was told a budget of $17-20 millon, tie up Warner for at least two years, only for Harlan to learn in the meeting that Shapiro hadn't even read the screenplay! It was after both Harlan and Isaac were dead before yet another re-write making the main character for Will Smith, Dr. Susan Calvin is the protag in this story, so this final re-write is similar to "I, Robot", but about the only thing in common with the original story by Isaac Asimov is the title, which these studios "option" for years at a time, more to keep others from making them, even if they have no intention of ever making the movie themselves! I loved the movie, but it shouldn't be confused with the wonderful works of Isaac Asimov and Harlan Ellison. As Harlan dedicated his screenplay: "To Isaac, my buddy, who, simply put, made this a better world".