When I think Summer box-office nostalgia, it’s hard for Independence Day not to be one of the first films mentioned in the conversation. The original was a perfect execution of what a popcorn movie should reflect. With Independence Day, you had silliness, dramatic moments, explosive action, and most of all… Jeff Goldblum.
Not to mention, the good old days when Will Smith was actually funny in most of his movies. I honestly have trouble seeing how an Independence Day sequel can work without the fresh prince. So, is he returning for the follow-up? According to Roland Emmerrich, it may now be a possibility.
Here is the quote from Emmerich regarding Will Smith:
“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.”
Part of me wonders if Smith is reconsidering the project because of his latest string of poor film decisions. After Earth was an absolute critical disaster, and before that he had Men in Black 3, which was a safe decision but it worked. Not to mention Hancock and Seven Pounds, which let’s be honest, both were pretty forgettable features. Maybe “Big Willie” is realizing a return to a beloved property is just what the doctor ordered.
Here is my major concern. Back in March, Smith mentioned that he turned down Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, because he “wasn’t the lead.” This tells me, Smith will only star in a movie now if the main focus of the movie is him. This is not what made Independence Day such a fun film. Yes, Will Smith helped, but Independence Day focused on several fun characters at one time, juggling the story-arcs until they all met at the end to defeat the aliens. It wasn’t a Will Smith movie. So, I pray that changes will not be made to just tailor to a movie star’s needs.
Here is the full video discussion from Emmerich below!
[fresh_video url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0reRmbM7wo&feature=share&list=TLVrwuqIHR4ew”]
Right now, no release date is known for Independence Day 2! What do you think about the star possibly returning for the next movie?
Source: Digital Spy
