Will Smith will not return for the second installment of "Independence Day."
Director Roland Emmerich told the New Daily News that Smith would not be part of the film because he was too expensive. He stated, "Will Smith cannot come back because he's too expensive, but he'd also be too much of a marquee name. It would be too much."
He also revealed that there would be new characters as well as many returning ones. He said, "We have like maybe half of the people that you know would know from the first film (in the script) and the other half people who are new."
The sequel was revealed a few weeks ago with co-screenwriter Dean Devlin stating, "We resisted doing the sequel for years because we still wanted to honor the first one. The first one gave us all careers and we really love that movie and loved the experience." Devlin continued, "I feel like we got it. I think it took a long time, but I feel like we finally got something that really feels like, 'That's worth seeing as a sequel to 'Independence Day.'"
It was also revealed that Bill Pullman will reprise his role as President Thomas Whitmore. He said, "I like what I have to do in both of them. I'm not in an old age home in a wheelchair being wheeled out for one more moment. It's a very interesting conception of what happens to [my character] between then and when it picks back up."
The new film is slated for release on July 3, 2015, 19 years after the original film.
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
