Hollywood Popular Artists

Jun 21st 2013, 16:56

by Nakiya Morgan

Nineteen years after the first film's release, "Independence Day 2" is definitely happening. On Thursday, Twentieth Century Fox announced that the sequel to the blockbuster film "Independence Day" will make its big screen debut in 2015. The 1996 classic, "Independence Day" starring Will Smith, Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum set the tone for all the big-budget disaster movies that have since followed, and made director Roland Emmerich a big time movie maker.

"'Independence Day' was always like the king who leads his troops into battle against an evil force, and that stays like that," said Emmerich in a previous interview with MTV News.

With the wild success of the first film (it grossed over $300 million... in 1996!), it comes as a big surprise that this sequel didn't happen any sooner. According to the original co-screen writer Dean Devlin, this is perfect timing.

"I feel like we got it. I think it took a long time, but I feel like we finally got something that really feels like, 'That's worth seeing as a sequel to 'Independence Day'," Devlin told The Hollywood Reporter last year. "We resisted doing the sequel for years because we still wanted to honor the first one. The first one gave us all careers and we really love that movie and loved the experience."

Roland Emmerich will indeed return to direct "Independence Day 2," but will star Will Smith also return? The "After Earth" star's involvement is still unclear, but Devlin and Emmerich have their hearts set on him.

"...Will is essential for us, for this movie and actually for the audience too," Emmerich said way back in 2009. "Like [box office] gross players, and Will is a gross player and is probably the only gross player right now who's worth his gross."

"Independence Day 2" will arrive in theaters on July 3, 2015.

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