अभिनेता [[विल स्मिथ]] ने ''[[वाइल्ड वाइल्ड वेस्ट]]'' बनाने के लिए नियो की भूमिका करने से फ़िल्म के अतिआकांक्षी बुलेट टाइम विशिष्ट प्रभाव पर संदेह होने के कारण इन्कार कर दिया.दिया।<ref name="empire will smith">{{cite journal |last=Lawrence |first=Will |year=2007 |month=February |title=The Empire Interview: In conversation with Will Smith |journal=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]|issue=212|page=109 |publisher=[[EMAP]]|accessdate=2008-12-31|quote=Honestly, I didn't think they could do it, it was too ambitious. I saw ''Bound'' and I loved it. ''The Matrix'' is exactly what they pitched, but they were designing those cameras to get those freeze-frames, and I was like, "If that doesn't work, the movie looks ridiculous." I didn't feel comfortable with the level of importance placed on that effect working properly. … That's probably the only one that I turned down that I shouldn't have, but when you see somebody do it like Keanu you think, "Thank God." I don't think I was mature enough as an actor at that point to get out of the way and just let it be and allow the directors to make the movie. I would have been trying to make jokes. Now I would have loved to take a shot and see what I would have done with it and I know now I could absolutely have been mature enough to get out the way. But back then I don't think I was.}}</ref> उसने बाद में वक्तव्य दिया कि वह अभिनेता के रूप में उस समय परिपक्व नहीं था,<ref name="empire will smith"/> अगर उसे यह भूमिका दी जाती तो वह उसके साथ न्याय नहीं कर पाता.पाता।<ref>{{cite web|last=Hillner|first=Jennifer|title=I, Robocop|work = [[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]| publisher =Condé Nast Publications| date = | year = |url=http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.07/smith_pr.html| doi = | accessdate = }}</ref><ref>रिग्स, रैनसम. "[http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/worklife/10/20/mf.rejected.movies/index.html?iref=mpstoryview 5 मिलियन-डॉलर मिस्टेक्स बाइ मूवी स्टार्स]." ''[[CNN]]'' . 20 अक्टूबर 2008 को एक्सेस किया गया.</ref> [[निकोलस केज]] ने परिवारिक बाध्यता के कारण फ़िल्म के प्रस्ताव को ठुकरा दिया था.था।<ref>{{cite news | author = Larry Carroll | title = Will Smith Snagged 'I Am Legend' From Schwarzenegger, But Can You Imagine Nicolas Cage In 'The Matrix'? | publisher = [[MTV]] | date = 2007-12-07 | url = http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1576048/20071207/story.jhtml | accessdate=2007-12-08}}</ref> कियानू रीव्स के चयन के पूर्व [[सैन्ड्रा बुलॉक]] ने ट्रिनिटी की भूमिका को यह कहकर मना कर दिया कि वह पहले अभिनेता के साथ काम करना चाहती है ना कि नियो के साथ.साथ।<ref>{{cite news | author = Kate Meyers | title = Sandra Bullock Tells All | publisher = [[OMG!]] | date = 2009-02-09 | url = http://omg.yahoo.com/news/sandra-bullock-tells-all/18699?nc | accessdate=2009-02-11}}</ref>
