I had heard that there was an alternative ending to the superb I Am Legend (Filmstalker review), but now we hear that it's going to be released on DVD.

However this should spark the death knoll for the first release, because it will be saved for a second DVD release, not the first. Yes, I Am Legend will “double dip”.

That means that the studio are going to try and dip into your pocket twice. First they'll release a DVD version of the film with some extras for you to drool over and buy, then they'll release another one with more extras which will make you want to get that one too.

According to Francis Lawrence's comments through Collider he said that there's a completely different ending that is not as commercial as one that they used, an ending which I think did a really good job of balancing the Hollywood desire against dramatic entertainment. He goes onto say that they will use this ending on the second DVD release.

Personally I hate that practice, and that's stopped me from buying DVD's, even those on sale. I saw a couple of DVD's I wanted just the other day for a ridiculous price, and that made me wonder why they were at such a ridiculous price...most likely because there's another version coming, and probably a high definition version. So I wait, and I don't buy.

What I've found is that my once burgeoning collection of DVD's has slowed to a complete crawl, and I only buy DVD's when they've been out for some time and I'm guaranteed that there's not going to be another general release unless it's due to some big anniversary or new technology.

Instead, I rent. That's exactly what I'll do with this first version of I Am Legend, and I suggest you do too, even if it's to wait and see the specifications of the second release and decide which you want, because otherwise the studio will get you buying both.