Despite whispers of a sequel ever since the release of the first movie, it’s taken twenty years for the follow-up to the blockbuster alien invasion flick Independence Day to become a reality, and during an anniversary screening of the film, director Roland Emmerich has been talking to Entertainment Weekly about why we’ve waited so long for Independence Day: Resurgence.
“I’m always against sequels and only when I can see another way how to make it not look like a sequel but a continuation of the 20 years,” states Emmerich. “And that’s great when you have a whole new generation coming in and the whole world has changed. We had time to rebuild, and naturally what we do is rebuild all these landmarks exactly like they looked because humans are traditionalists when it comes to that. I said, ‘Okay, that’s cool,’ because now you have a whole new playing field.”
Speaking on the success of the first movie, Emmerich added that: “I think it’s the first movie where you saw aliens come in a total overwhelming way, and I think after that no one could do it because everyone said, ‘That’s like Independence Day.’ I think I put that kind of stamp on it.”
SEE ALSO: New trailer for Independence Day: Resurgence
“Independence Day was just the beginning. We always knew they were coming back. After that film redefined the event movie genre, the next epic chapter in the Independence Day universe delivers global spectacle on an unimaginable scale. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens’ advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction.”
Independence Day Resurgence is set for release on June 24th 2016, with Roland Emmerich directing returning stars Jeff Goldblum, Vivica A. Fox, Judd Hirsch, Brent Spiner and Bill Pullman alongside new additions Liam Hemsworth (The Hunger Games), Charlotte Gainsbourg (Nymphomaniac), Maika Monroe (It Follows), Sela Ward (The Day After Tomorrow), Joey King (Wish I Was Here), Jessie Usher (When The Game Stands Tall), Angelababy (Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon) and William Fichtner (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).
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https://youtu.be/b7Ozs5mj5ao?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published May 6, 2016. Updated November 29, 2022.
