Mild Independence Day 2 Spoiler Alert (if you haven’t seen the trailers)
It’s been 20 years since Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum joined forces to save us from an alien invasion in Independence Day. Now, in 2016, the aliens are back to ruin the 4th of July for everyone in Independence Day: Resurgence.
Humanity and the aliens have been preparing for another war since the events of the first film. Aided by the scavenged tech left over from the first invasion, this alternate version of Earth has accelerated far beyond our reality. By the looks of the trailer, expect a lot of shiny things, futuristic noises and Goldblum in an outfit seemingly out of Star Trek.
There is one major difference between this film and the original Independence Day, though. Goldblum is returning as the inquisitive David Levinson, but his original co-star, Will Smith, isn’t reprising the role of Captain Hiller.
Initially, it was believed that Smith had turned down the chance to star in the sequel to the 1996 classic. Yet, in a recent interview with HeyUGuys, director Roland Emmerich explained the original script they’d passed around focused on Hiller and his son, Dylan. However Emmerich wanted to take the film in a different direction, focusing on Dylan instead. By doing so he hoped to open up the Independence Day films to a younger audience. In the trailer, we see that Smith’s character has died in the time between Independence Day 1 and 2.
Meanwhile, Goldblum appears to be playing a pivotal role in the sequel. He’s also teaming up with Liam Hemsworth, who’ll be playing pilot Jake Morrison. There will also be several other cast members from the first film appearing such as Judd Hirsch, Brent Spiner, Vivica A. Fox and Bill Pullman.
Without Smith returning, will the sequel live up to the original? We’ll find out on June 23rd worldwide as Earth gears up once again to kick alien arse in Independence Day 2: Resurgence.
You can watch the full interview with Emmerich here.
Image via 20th Century Fox
