‘Independence Day 2′: Will Smith to Return After All?
The last time director Roland Emmerich talked about 'Independence Day 2,' original franchise star Will Smith was not going to be involved. At all. He was "too expensive," a "marquee name" who would be "too much." But a few months (and some time to think about the bomb that was 'After Earth') can make all the difference in the world -- it looks like Smith may end up joining the highly anticipated sequel after all.
Digital Spy recently sat down with Emmerich, who let it slip that Smith's non-interest in the film may have taken a 180. To quote the German maestro of Hollywood destruction:
I sometimes say no, Will Smith will not be in it because he didn't want to do it at first. Now we have a meeting planned, we want to talk about it again. Anything can happen.
In the same interview, Emmerich admits that the film is constantly in flux, with things seemingly changing on a month-by-month basis. If Smith suddenly decides that he wants to be in the movie, things may get even more hectic. After all, the current script will have to go through a pretty hefty rewrite if they want to add him to the story.
If you think all of this sounds way too chaotic for a film that's already slated for July 3, 2015, you're right. Emmerich isn't shy about the film's constantly shuffling development and he openly admits that 'Independence Day 2' may have to be a 2016 film instead of a 2015 film. That's actually refreshing to hear, since an extra year will give him time to make a better movie. Hopefully, the studio won't rush him and his writers to that original release date.
So, expect 'Independence Day 2' sometime within the next three years, undoubtedly released as close to the fourth of July as possible. Although Smith's involvement remains unconfirmed, everything else indicates that original co-stars Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman are slated to return (and we'd take more Goldblum/Pullman action over Smith any day).