California gas prices and Francis Lawrence's I Am Legend have an unexpected connection nearly two decades after Will Smith’s post-apocalyptic movie hit theaters.Now that fuel prices in the Golden State have reached a new high, popular Instagram user @todayyearsold pointed out that a small detail from Smith's fictional dystopian film has come to life. The 2007 film is set in the aftermath of an outbreak of a genetically engineered measles virus designed to cure cancer. Smith plays U.S. Army virologist Robert Neville, the last human in New York City, along with other nocturnal mutants.I Am Legend offers glimpses of a world frozen in the aftermath of the catastrophe. Among those details was a gas station sign displaying a price ($6.63 per gallon) that seemed notably high when the movie was released. 20 years later, California gas prices are touching $6.17 per gallon, bringing the movie's fictional figure chillingly to life.California gas prices are drawing comparisons to Will Smith's I Am Legend View this post on Instagram Instagram PostA chilling visual from Will Smith's I Am Legend has come to life after California gas prices skyrocketed to $6.17 per gallon. Movie enthusiasts will remember gas was priced at $6.63 in Will Smith's 2007 post-apocalyptic thriller. The high gas price was a creative choice that highlighted society after the outbreak of the genetically engineered measles virus. But many social media users have noticed that I Am Legend's inflated gas prices have chillingly come to life in 2026.The Instagram user also mentioned how gas prices in San Francisco are reaching $6.23 per gallon, with many gas stations in the Bay Area already topping $6.30 per gallon.While gas prices in California were $3 when Will Smith's film first hit theaters, the chilling numbers have come to life in 2026, up more than $1.40 from this time last year.California fuel prices have surged due to a mix of global oil shocks, local refinery closures and structural state constraints. While disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have squeezed global crude supplies, the shutdown of two major California refineries severely constrained regional production capacity.This is how social media is reacting to California gas pricesWhile post-apocalyptic fiction is a popular genre in films, nobody expected the chilling numbers from Will Smith's 2007 film to come to life in 2026. As people shared side-by-side screenshots of Smith's film and California gas prices online, users on the Internet shared their opinions on the matter.One X user laments how Smith's apocalyptic fiction predicted our own demise:"Huh…seems like we just keep on predicting our own demise with creative apocalyptic entertainment…" Another X user added:"California really watched I Am Legend and said “that gas price seems achievable."""The film used those numbers because they were unthinkable in 2007. That's the whole joke and it stopped being one." wrote another user on XWhile I Am Legend never attempted to predict future fuel costs, the comparison is certainly striking. California fuel prices have caught up with the figure shown in Will Smith’s dystopian world, turning movie fiction into an uncanny real-life comparison.For the latest scoops on your favorite TV shows and movies, follow SoapCentral.