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Independence Day Director Shares Candid View on Sequel Chances, Will Smith’s Return, and Disney Issues
Roland Emmerich may be the king of the modern disaster epic, but the Stargate director is on a different path today. He’s into historical epics, as he’s currently the executive producer and director of Those About to Die, a Peacock event series about the Roman Empire, starring the legendary Anthony Hopkins.
During an appearance to discuss the series on the podcast Bingeworthy, Emmerich briefly discussed his biggest hit of all, Independence Day, and revealed that killing off Will Smith’s character in the sequel isn’t the biggest obstacle to a third film.
Fans of the original 1996 film were pretty disappointed in the 2016 sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence. Set 20 years after the original, Resurgence finds the aliens returning to conquer Earth.
Mankind’s technology has evolved in the meantime, but once again, they find themselves overwhelmed by the invaders. Despite the return of Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman, the absence of Will Smith is very noticeable, and the film suffers for it.