everyone is safe now. Cast Note that Carolyn De Fonseca, uncredited, dubbed for Franca Bettoia's voice in the English release of the film. Production Development Producer Anthony Hinds purchased the rights to Matheson's novel for Hammer Film Productions. Matheson wrote a script, and Hammer announced in 1958 that they would make it. However, British censors would not allow the film to be produced, so Hinds resold the script to American producer Robert L. Lippert. Lippert had wanted to make a "last man on Earth"-type film for a while. In the late 1950s, Charles Marquis Warren and Robert Stabler optioned a novel by science fiction writer George R. Stewart called Earth Abides. Harry Spalding, who worked for Lippert, said the release of The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1959) killed off plans for that project. Spalding then read Matheson's novel and suggested Lippert film that book instead. The project was announced in August 1962. Lippert originally told Matheson that Fritz Lang would direct the film, and Matheson thought that would be "wonderful". Eventually, however, Sidney Salkow was chosen to direct. Matheson made the follow-up comment: "Well, there's a bit of a drop." Shooting To save money, the film was shot in Italy with a predominantly Italian cast and crew. The climax was shot in San Pio X alla Balduina, a real Catholic church in Rome. Matheson later said the film was the most faithful adaptation of his book, but he also called the result "inept" and used a pen name for his screenplay. (He later said he thought Harrison Ford as star and George Miller as director would have been the ideal creative combination".) Differences from the novel There are several differences between the film and the novel I Am Legend from which it is based: The protagonist of the novel is named Robert Neville, not Robert Morgan. The protagonist's profession is changed from a plant worker to scientist. The vampires are almost zombie-like, whereas in the novel, they are fast and capable of running and climbing. The dog that shows up on Neville's doorstep in the novel is timid and comes and goes as it pleases, in contrast to the dog in the film. In the novel the relationship with Ruth differs slightly, in that no transfusion takes place; a cure seems implausible, even as Neville hopes he will find one; and Ruth escapes after Neville discovers that she