Despite the fact that Independence Day: Resurgence is bringing back several cast members from the original movie, there is one name absent from the roster of the 1996 blockbuster, with Will Smith opting against a return to the franchise. Speaking to Comic Book, director Roland Emmerich has revealed that Smith was originally set to return, but decided against it following his experience on After Earth and Men in Black 3.
“In the very beginning, [Will Smith] was on board,” states Emmerich. “He was actually very excited to do it but it got a little bit unlucky there. Even I needed kind of like two years to get through two scripts. We wanted to make two scripts because when we have Will we want to have two right away. We sent him the scripts just when he was doing After Earth and wanted to create his own trilogy and had just done Men in Black 3 which was not a good experience for him. So, he just opted out. And I pretty much opted out.”
It took me a couple of years until I could replace Will as not just one actor but a whole generation which is probably the breakthrough which was happening roughly two years ago,” Emmerich continues. “From then on, it was actually the story changed a lot. All the sudden, it was not about the old characters returning but it was more about the old characters handing it over to another generation in a very cool way.”
With Smith opting against a return, the filmmakers decided to kill off his character Captain Steven Hiller, with his fate revealed in the viral marketing campaign.
We always knew they were coming back. After INDEPENDENCE DAY redefined the event movie genre, the next epic chapter 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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Originally published May 15, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
