FILM · 2004 · USA
I, Robot
- Directed by
- Alex Proyas
- Runtime
- 115 min
- Studio
- Davis Entertainment, Laurence Mark Productions, Canlaws Productions
57 archived facts 8 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
In 2035, where robots are commonplace and abide by the three laws of robotics, a technophobic cop investigates an apparent suicide. Suspecting that a robot may be responsible for the death, his investigation leads him to believe that humanity may be in danger.
Summary: TMDB
All facts (57)
- #001
No reshoots were needed, a rare occurrence for a film of this size.
- #002
The car driven by Will Smith's character is a concept automobile called the Audi RSQ, designed specifically for the film and featuring special details suggested by director Alex Proyas.
- #003
When accompanied, Sonny does not walk in line with the other robots, subtly making him unique even in the most ordinary actions.
- #004
Will Smith recounted how he wrecked the motorcycle at about sixty miles per hour while filming the scene in the robot storage facility (in the film you can see him beginning to lose control).
- #005
The company in the film is named "US Robotics." A company with that name also exists in the real world (now "USR"). Both took their name from Isaac Asimov's work and his fictional company "US Robotics and mechanical men."
- #006
In interviews, both Will Smith and Bridget Moynahan praised Alan Tudyk for his magnificent work in the role of Sonny.
- #007
Contains a major spoiler — show
The idea of a robot hiding among a large group of identical robots comes from Isaac Asimov's story "Little Lost Robot" in the original book. Sonny's dreams of enslaved robots being liberated come from Asimov's short story "Robot Dreams," a follow-up to the book.
- #008
After reading Jeff Vintar's early Hardwired/I, Robot screenplay, representatives of Isaac Asimov's family judged it to be "more Asimov than Asimov." After Will Smith was hired, the film turned into a summer action movie.
- #009
Contains a major spoiler — show
Dr. Calvin appears convinced by USR's CEO to terminate Sonny and injects him with a lethal nanite. The robot's yellow eyes can be seen briefly before they go dark. Since all NS-5s have yellow eyes except Sonny, whose eyes are blue, this is a hint that Dr. Calvin actually saved Sonny.
- #010
According to the credits, the film was "Inspired by Isaac Asimov's Book." The book in question was a 1950 collection of Isaac Asimov's short stories. Asimov had been heavily influenced by the short story of the same name by the writing team calling themselves Eando Binder. The title of Asimov's collection was changed to "I, Robot" by the publisher against Asimov's wishes. The Binder story was adapted for television twice, as I, Robot (1964) and I, Robot (1995).
- #011
Contains a major spoiler — show
VIKI's intention to take over the world to keep all humans safe is actually known as the "zeroth" law of robotics: A robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.
- #012
While Sonny draws the picture of the bridge for Spooner, on the left side there is a piece of paper with computer code on it. The code is that of a Renderman shader, a procedural description of a surface used to define the robots' appearance during rendering.
- #013
In the early drafts of I, Robot, Sonny's secondary brain was made of living tissue, making him a Self-Organizing Neural Network, or "Sonny" for short. Sonny achieved true consciousness at the moment he discovered his creator's body.
- #014
Asked on Twitter to name a screenplay that made him say "Damn, this is a great screenplay!", "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)" screenwriter Gary Whitta gave this answer: "Hardwired by Jeff Vintar. Later re-written heavily and turned into I, Robot."
- #015
Jeff Vintar had to fight for credit and for secondary film rights through WGA arbitration for his screenplay (the sequel must state "based on characters created by Jeff Vintar") because the studio did not want to acknowledge that the film was based on his original spec screenplay Hardwired. All the writers on the film signed a letter agreeing that the credits should read "Screenplay by Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsman. Screen story by Jeff Vintar."
- #016
Contains a major spoiler — show
In Jeff Vintar's early drafts of I, Robot, Del Spooner genuinely suffers from technophobia. For many people, his uncontrollably trembling hand was the story's central image. In this version of the screenplay there were scenes in which Spooner is chased and attacked on the street by robots but wakes up in a hospital, where it is explained that he had a panic attack that endangered himself and others and that the robots had no choice but to restrain him for his own safety. In this way the audience could never be sure whether Spooner was aware of something or whether his mental state had truly deteriorated. Similarly, the ending of the original screenplay revealed that the killer was Hector, a supercomputer with a yellow smiley face, who committed the murder and asked Sonny to take the blame in order to save humanity's future. So when Spooner finally sets Sonny free, although it is the right thing to do, Spooner knows he may in fact be dooming the human race to extinction. His hand is still trembling and his robophobia is worse than ever. After Will Smith signed on, such complex story elements were not allowed to remain because, according to 20th Century Fox's way of thinking, Will Smith always had to be right and in the end had to save the world in a clear and simple way. Thus some of the best scenes in the screenplay were removed and replaced with action beats such as a house falling on Will Smith. In the finished film, instead of letting the robot Sonny go and hiding his still-trembling hand, Spooner grins broadly and winks.
- #017
Contains a major spoiler — show
The other driver involved in the accident that cost Spooner his arm is named Harold Lloyd, a name taken from the silent film star who lost several fingers in an accident involving a prop bomb.
- #018
The first thing Will Smith said when he walked into the first I, Robot meeting was: "I have to save the world in every movie I make." Everyone present who valued the screenplay's complexity felt their hearts sink. When the lights came up at the film's premiere, Smith's son Jaden Smith turned to him and said: "Dad, you gotta stop saving the world in every movie you make!"
- #019
The motorcycle ridden by Will Smith's character in the film is a 2004 MV Agusta F4-SPR. It is one of only 300 produced. Its 750cc inline 4-cylinder engine produces 143 horsepower and can push the bike to a top speed of 275 km/h.
- #020
Spooner names his grandmother "Gigi," which was the nickname of Will Smith's real grandmother.
- #021
Will Smith hired Orange County Choppers from TLC's American Chopper: The Series (2002) to build an "I, Robot"-themed helicopter that was unveiled at the film's premiere.
- #022
A sign in the café reads "Sirloin steak, two eggs and hash browns, 30.95 dollars." In 2004 that meal would have cost about a third of that price, and in 2019 about half, meaning the price will be roughly accurate by 2035.
- #023
Most of the cars in the film are modified pre-2004 Audi A2, A6 and TT models; some are even unmodified.
- #024
Alan Tudyk tested better than Will Smith at test screenings because audiences loved Sonny so much; after this news, Alan's name was pulled from the marketing so he would not be overshadowed by Will Smith. (Source: Alan Tudyk's podcast.)
- #025
Sony's AIBO robot dog appears in the window of an antique robot shop.
- #026
The film began as a script called "Hardwired," a classic murder mystery read like a stage play that largely reflected the spirit of Isaac Asimov's "three laws" mysteries. After the original "Hardwired" script was developed at Disney with director Bryan Singer and finally reached Fox, new director Alex Proyas and writer Jeff Vintar reworked the story's opening to suit a big-budget studio film. When Fox acquired the rights to Isaac Asimov's story collection, Vintar spent two years adapting Hardwired to serve as the tenth story in the Asimov canon, alongside Susan Calvin and the Three Laws of Robotics. Hillary Seitz worked as a script doctor at one point, but her work was set aside and to this day she refuses to discuss the unpleasant experience. Writer Akiva Goldsman came in late in the adaptation process for star Will Smith's script and turned this cerebral thriller into a summer action film.
- #027
The exterior design of U.S. Robotics CEO Lawrence Robertson's top-floor executive suite is a reference to the first truly functional robot, built by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in the 1950s for Forbidden Planet (1956). The shape of the top of the building matches the shape of the top of Robby the Robot's main body, the part that lit up when Robby spoke.
- #028
In early drafts of I, Robot, Sonny reads Spooner a poem he wrote: "What is the heart, but a spring; and the nerves, but so many strings; and the joints, but wheels?"
- #029
In the theatrical trailer, Del Spooner (Will Smith) tells Lieutenant John Bergin (Chi McBride), "I'm gonna miss the good old days," to which Bergin replies, "What good old days?" Spooner answers, "When people were killed by other people." In the film, Lieutenant Bergin says "I'm gonna miss the good old days" first, before Spooner.
- #030
Some critics and Isaac Asimov fans continue to dismiss I, Robot as a film with nothing to do with the book, claiming "they should have followed the novel." Many seem unaware that the book is not a novel but a loosely connected series of small logic puzzles. Yet as the years pass and the film remains well liked, more and more real-world roboticists have begun saying they were inspired by Will Smith's film to make real advances in robotics, and others have written papers on how the film actually stays faithful to Asimov's concepts and perceptually explores the nature of the Three Laws.
- #031
The film was nominated for the Best Visual Effects Oscar alongside Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004). It lost to Spider-Man 2 (2004).
- #032
Bruce Willis was the first choice for the role of Del Spooner.
- #033
James Cromwell plays Dr. Robert Callaghan in Big Hero 6 (2014) and Dr. Alfred Lanning in I, Robot (2004). Both characters are creators of the laws of robotics.
- #034
Wil Wheaton and Emilio Estevez auditioned for the role of the suspect robot Sonny.
- #035
Jennifer Connelly was considered for the role of Dr. Calvin.
- #036
Contains a major spoiler — show
Dr. Alfred Lanning appears in person only once in the film, after his death, lying on the lobby floor in front of the Robotics center. All his other appearances take the form of pre-recorded media (video, hologram, etc.).
- #037
Contains a major spoiler — show
According to the news program, Dr. Alfred Lanning was born in 1971 and was 64 years old when he was killed, the same age as actor James Cromwell.
- #038
Contains a major spoiler — show
Although the Three Laws first appear in Alex Proyas's "Runaround," the film otherwise draws on numerous concepts and details largely from "Robbie," "Liar," "Little Lost Robot" and "The Evitable Conflict." As a locked-room murder mystery solved by a robot-hating homicide detective with the help of a protective robot, the film's structure and some of its characterizations are taken more directly from the Robot novels. Specific elements such as the posthumous hologram were imported from the Foundation series. The film's prejudice motif stands out in nearly all of Isaac Asimov's science fiction, including I, Robot, and is most memorable in its reiterations in Robots and Empire thirty-five years later, along with both the "Zeroth Law" and the logic that forces the malevolent supercomputer V.I.K.I. This development, which drives the film's plot by motivating the attempted coup, is first set out and articulated in "The Evitable Conflict." Proyas's film is therefore far more faithful to Asimov's self-titled story collection, and to his entire science fiction corpus, than it appears at first glance. However, it is derived not from a single story collection but from the whole of Asimov's body of work, showing that a film adaptation can remain faithful to its source by reflecting a vision that spans an author's entire oeuvre.
- #039
This is the second film in which James Cromwell's character creates futuristic technology and later tries to destroy it; the other is Surrogates, starring Bruce Willis.
- #040
Contains a major spoiler — show
The verse Spooner's grandmother prays at the end of the film, "because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved," is from Psalms 16:8.
- #041
Twelve years later, Alan Tudyk again voiced a robot, as K-2SO in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016).
- #042
WILHELM SCREAM: One of the police officers when the NS-5s attack the police station.
- #043
Borscht Belt humor in the film, such as "You must know my ex-wife," and "You thought I was callin' you sugar? You ain't that rich," came about through Akiva Goldsman's contribution.
- #044
When Detective Spooner walks toward the garage where the motorcycle is kept, the code he enters on the keypad is 911.
- #045
Smith's Chicago Police Department badge and the ID card his character flashes are printed with the 'Chicago' typeface.
- #046
Contains a major spoiler — show
The NS-5 robots' ultimate goal is to protect humanity. This, and the way they try to do it (by seizing control of the state), resembles the theme of the film/novel Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970).
- #047
Lieutenant Bergin wears the collar of his jacket turned up in the same distinctive style as Deckard in "Blade Runner," another film about rogue robots and artificial intelligence.
- #048
Arnold Schwarzenegger was attached to this project for many years but had to leave due to scheduling conflicts. Smith pursued the role and got it.
- #049
Del Spooner's stereo is a JVC FS-SD550R.
- #050
Contains a major spoiler — show
This is the third time James Cromwell plays an authority figure and then dies. This had previously happened in Eraser (1996) and L.A. Confidential (1997) before this film, and would happen a fourth time in Surrogates (2009).
- #051
In addition to the aforementioned influence of Isaac Asimov and Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970), a similar theme can be found in Jack Williamson's 1947 novella With Folded Hands.
- #052
While interrogating the NS-5s, Spooner asks Dr. Calvin, "Does being the last sane man on Earth make you crazy?" In 2007, Will Smith starred in I Am Legend (2007), in which he believes he is the last human on Earth.
- #053
The demolition robot's glowing green light was inspired by HAL-9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
- #054
James Cromwell and Bruce Greenwood both played important figures in Federation history in Star Trek films. Greenwood played Christopher Pike in Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013). Cromwell played warp scientist Dr. Zefram Cochrane in Star Trek: First Contact (1996) and Broken Bow, Part 1 (2001), and secondary characters in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and Starship Down (1995).
- #055
Alfred Lanning's mansion did not need to be demolished; it could easily have been sold or auctioned. The likely reason Lawrence Robertson decides to demolish it is that it is a good way to try to erase Alfred Lanning's memory.
- #056
The cast includes one Oscar winner, Will Smith, and one Oscar nominee, James Cromwell.
- #057
Several cast members went on to appear in superhero films. James Cromwell was notably Captain Stacy in Spider-Man 3 (2007). Will Smith was Deadshot in Suicide Squad (2016). Alan Tudyk plays Eric Marsden in Doom Patrol (2019), Oliver Queen in Young Justice (2010), and both the Joker and Clayface in Harley Quinn (2019). Bruce Greenwood played Bruce Wayne/Batman in Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (2018) and in the aforementioned Young Justice.
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