20th Century Fox is planning sequels to Roland Emmerich’s 1996 alien invasion blockbuster, Independence Day. The idea is to shoot them back to back for obvious production benefits with Will Smith returning to the role that helped propel him into super stardom. Sequels have been in development for some time and with the scripts written, production is expected to get underway sometime next year. The stories are said to be in the vein of the ‘Back to the Future’ sequels; with an interconnecting storyline and a significant cliffhanger in between flicks to warrant interest in the resolution.
However there are said to be few snags with the deal, reports say Will Smith is asking for a $50 million salary and wants the production to shoot close to home. He’s also keen on wife Jada and daughter Willow having parts in the flick. Director Roland Emmerich doesn’t come cheap either, and though his new flick ‘Anonymous‘ is relatively low budget by comparison – his pay day will certainly create a hefty price tag for the studios.
As far as scheduling goes, Will Smith is set to star in M. Night Shyamalan’s sci-fi flick ‘One Thousand A.E’, which re-teams Smith with son Jaden as a father and son that navigate a desolate earth after their ship crash lands. The actor recently knocked back a role in Quentin Tarantino‘s ‘Django Unchained‘, which eventually went to Jamie Foxx. Production has yet to start on Shyamalan’s new pic though a release has been set for June 7, 2013 .
Three years have passed since Will Smith’s last movie, ‘Seven Pounds’, but he’s still one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars, and sequels to this type of blockbuster require his appeal to ensure the studio a hit. However Fox is said to be contemplating making the films with or without Smith, and with the scripts being submitted in December, the studio may consider having them rewritten so that another character can take over the lead.
While there’s undoubtedly an audience for a follow-up, the original was strictly an alien invasion flick and any Independence Day sequels would need a fresh take, rather than retreading the same themes. There are many possibilities to consider, when the flick ended most of the planet lay in ruins and in the 15 years since those events, cities would’ve been rebuilt and remnant alien technology likely absorbed. Perhaps a new story will deal with themes of retaliation, with man returning the favor on the alien home-world. Though lets face it, alien invasion is the premise, except this time man will be more prepared.
Emmerich’s last big budget feature 2012, featured some incredible visuals, though as a filmmaker he tends to repeat themes of global apocalypse – while he’s highly accomplished at this genre, spectacle alone coupled with grandiose visuals can leave a somewhat hollow feeling, especially if the story and characters aren’t satisfying. If the sequels do move ahead, hopefully Jeff Goldblum returns to reprise his character who was perhaps the most entertaining, not to mention instrumental in decoding the imminent invasion – Smith’s character was more the gung-ho pilot who just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
Check out the original teaser trailer here:
via: Collider
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