Will Smith’s Action-Packed Sci-Fi Hit From Foundation Author Is Heading to a Free Streaming Home 21 Years Later

Apple TV’s Foundation has been a major hit series. But the same author wrote multiple stories, including 2004’s I, Robot starring Will Smith.

I, Robot, starring Will Smith, is officially heading to a new streaming home in just a few days, and fans don’t need a subscription to watch. As of Dec. 1, viewers will be able to stream I, Robot from the comfort of their own homes entirely for free courtesy of Tubi.

Directed by Alex Proyas from a screenplay by Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsman, which itself was loosely adapted from Isaac Asimov’s 1950 short story collection of the same name, I, Robot stars Will Smith as Del Spooner, a seasoned Chicago Police detective with a deeply seated disdain for AI and robots. Unfortunately, Spooner’s latest case brings him closer to the company behind mass-produced humanoid robots than he ever hoped to be.

I, Robot arrived in theaters in 2004 to largely middling reviews from critics, yet an overwhelming response from audiences. During the film’s original run at the box office, I, Robot grossed more than $353 million against a $120 million budget.

Alongside Smith, I, Robot stars Bridget Moynahan, Bruce Greenwood, James Cromwell, and Alan Tudyk as the voice and motion capture performer for the robot known as Sonny, who is unique in both his disconnection from the USR network and his ability to feel emotions. Tudyk famously rated higher than Smith in front of test audiences, leading him to be cut from the film’s promotional material at the time.

Tudyk recently opened up about the experience, recalling, “They were doing test audiences with the movie, they scored the characters, and I got word back, ‘Alan, you’re testing higher than Will Smith.'” Tudyk continued, “And then I was gone. I was gone. There was no publicity, and my name was not mentioned.”

What’s Next for Will Smith on the Silver Screen?

Detective Del Spooner (Will Smith) in I, Robot is in pursuit of Sonny.Image via 20th Century Fox

Currently, the next feature film on Will Smith’s slate is 2027’s Ice Age: Boiling Point, which will see the star voice the role of the woolly mammoth known as Brock. Set to arrive in theaters on Feb. 5, 2027, Ice Age: Boiling Point will be the sixth film in the mainline Ice Age series and the seventh overall for the franchise.

While Ice Age: Boiling Point will bring back longtime stars such as Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, and Denis Leary, there is one name missing from the cast list that has fans wondering about the fate of their favorite pair of opossums. When asked about whether he would be appearing in the film, star Seann William Scott replied simply, “I don’t think so.”

“This is the first I’ve heard of it. I’m feeling like, if I haven’t heard anything at this point, they’re probably going to kill Crash off,” Scott continued. “Which, by the way, this movie doesn’t need two little opossums, and they don’t need to pay us for it… Yeah, I haven’t heard about [Ice Age: Boiling Point].”

I, Robot will be available for streaming on Tubi beginning Dec. 1.

Release Date

July 15, 2004

Runtime

115 Minutes

Director

Alex Proyas

• Bridget Moynahan

  Del Spooner

• James Cromwell

  Dr. Alfred Lanning