Recently I watched "I am Legend," starring Will Smith. He is basically the film's only character in the post-apocalyptic film. His family is gone, and everyone else has become zombies, unable to go into the sunlight. This disability makes all zombies appear pale white, so Smith is also the only black character in the film. In the world in which he lives, however, race doesn't matter at all. The two priorities are survival, and finding a cure for the disease.
In an industry that predominantly casts white people, the casting of Will Smith is very significant. He is an intelligent scientist, and basically the last man alive, so it is his responsibility to preserve the human race. I think it's a big deal that this major role was given to a black actor, and the movie was so successful. It shows studios that black actors are just as capable of carrying a movie as a white actor.
His character is quite different from the characters discussed in Diawara's book, though. He plays a kind, intelligent character who is even less animalistic when compared a) his dog and b) the violent zombies. The primal instinct we read about in Diawara is turned into a positive in this movie-a survival instinct.
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