Disaster film director, Roland Emmerich, may have been busy recently making his latest tale of destruction, 2012, but that doesn’t stop him from thinking ahead (or backwards, depending on how you look at it). A sequel to his mammoth, $800 million worldwide success that was 1996’s Independence Day (or “ID4″) has apparently been in the cards for ages now. Back in 2004, an outline script was even written by screenwriter Dean Devlin and Emmerich – but, for whatever reason, “in the end it didn’t work out.”
Last year, our friend Robert Sanchez over at IESB.net spoke to 20th Century Fox CEO, Tom Rothman, about Independence Day 2’s status and effectively he said it was all down to Emmerich, and that the story, “can and should continue.” And today, thanks to the guys over at Latino Review, we have a new update on a possible ID4 sequel straight from Emmerich himself.
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When asked about why there’s not been a sequel to “ID4 2″ yet, even though there’s (apparently) a script written for it, Emmerich said:
“Dean Devlin and I are still set to make a sequel likely because we’ve found some sort of idea and we approached FOX and FOX has not quite figured out how to incorporate Dean’s and my deal, and Will’s (Smith) deal. Will wants to do it in some sort of a package they can live with. So it’s just been in negotiations now since forever, and naturally FOX says “Why don’t you do it without Will Smith?” I said Will is essential for us, for this movie and actually for the audience too. And, so, it’s in limbo and lately the studios are fighting. Like gross players, and Will is a gross player and is probably the only gross player right now who’s worth his gross. So we’ll see what happens. I would love to do it.”
Emmerich went on to say that there’s a story been conceived, “a very cool one.” But sadly he didn’t elaborate on just what that story might be, jokingly saying that Dean (Devlin) would, “burst through the door…” I’m guessing Emmerich isn’t calling ALL the shots on the continuation of ID’s story as one might think…
Of all of Emmerich disaster films, Independence Day seems to be his most critically well received (61% on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to the 45% of The Day After Tomorrow and 9% of 10,000 BC), as well as being his biggest money-maker at the worldwide box office ($817 million). So on both counts – critical and financial – it’s very easy to see why they’d want to make a sequel.
It’s interesting and surprising to note that Fox, the studio that would likely rake in a ton of the money on ID4 2, is the one stalling. What’s not surprising about this, however, is money being the root of the problem. By the sounds of it, Fox wants to make the film without Smith – pretty much the only bankable movie star left in Hollywood today (just look at the box office results of his last 8 movies in a row) – as they would have to pay him a hefty sum of money to do it.
Smith has gotten to the point where he gets a percentage of the film’s gross (head over to Latino Review for a well written rundown of how it works), so I’m guessing Fox’s line of thinking is, “How can we spend as little as possible while making as much as possible?” It’s the line of thinking pretty much every business goes by, only it’s only those thoughts are much more public where movie studios are involved.
Personally, I wouldn’t mind a sequel to Independence Day, I really like the first one (doesn’t everyone?), but it doesn’t hit me as a film that NEEDS to have a followup. Do I look forward to a sequel? Sure, but to be honest, I’m fine either way.
What do you think of Fox, for money reasons, stalling Independence Day 2? Would you like a sequel to the mega-hit that was the first one, or do you think it should be left at one?
Source: LatinoReview
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21 Comments
I agree it doesn’t need a follow up and I also think a follow up (which I would like to see) doesn’t need Smith. Se it in the future a couple hundred years. The aliens come back stronger and we are stronger after centuries of learning from their technology. It’s the old “Robotech” mantra we can beat them with their own technology kinda thing. Just a thought.
I thought the aliens were the last of their kind…
i agree with fox leave will smith out and have all new players.
it would be dumb not to have will in it. i really think he was the differance betweenthat movie making 500 million and 800 million.Look at his last 15 movies.only 3 made less then 100 million and 2 made more the 50 million. these numbers domestic besides independince day
I like Ink idea. I would watch something like that.
that being said i dont care if he is in it
I would be all about it. ID4 made Smith a movie star. And now he has the power to draw the crowds to make the sequel worth while. It would be a shame not to have him.
I think you need to bring back as many people as you can. Jeff Goldbloom’s character was AWESOME too.
A 15 years later story could be awesome. I just hope they don’t go with the same aliens coming back “in full force” plot line. That is way too predictable. I am sure that is probably what they would do, but to me, it would be way cooler to have to have a different alien threat. Maybe a different alien race that is at war with the aliens from the first movie discover that a planet has defeated their enemies for them, and they determine Earth to be a threat.
So now they have to use the remnants of the alien technology to defeat this new threat more powerful than the Aliens. At leas that is SOMEWHAT original.
Loved the movie. Doesn’t need a foolow-up.
But if there IS one….get Will.
It doesnt need a sequel.
I thought this was called off long ago.
“Maybe a different alien race that is at war with the aliens from the first movie discover that a planet has defeated their enemies for them, and they determine Earth to be a threat.
So now they have to use the remnants of the alien technology to defeat this new threat more powerful than the Aliens. At leas that is SOMEWHAT original.”
Great idea and again it hearkens back to “Robotech.”
FYI – Robotech was an 80’s animé series brought to the US by Harmony Gold. It was actually 3 animé series “pieced” together to make one continuous story arc. Heck of an idea, especially at the time. Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. I used to literally RUN from the bus stop in order to see it at 3:30. My first introduction to animé … and what an intro!
A lot of good questions here-no easy answers though. Is Will Smith really needed? No. Neither is any actor whose characters survived in the previous film. But it would be *great* if even half of them returned. Clearly any story could involve survivors from any other part of the world. It might be interesting to see how the world has changed and adapted since winning over the alien attack….and how they might face another.
However, I don’t see a sequel to ID4, period.
Point is moot.
what about something like… 15 years later humans are using the alien tech and exploring space and they get a distress call from another planet or they find out another planet has just had what happen to earth happen to them(then we can see what would have happened if earth didnt win and the ground invasion went threw). the aliens find out we’ve seen what they did to the new planet and they follow the spying ship back to earth. somehow they find out what happened to there other mother-ship(remains of the crash are still on earth or piece of the mother ship hit the moon?) and they go back to an even bigger mother-ship and the whole alien race is now focused on destroying us because where they only “alien” race to have stopped them. we also find out that they don’t just destroy all the natives on each planet but enslave a good proportion as well, to do whatever. we meet other aliens and all decide that each planet in its own galaxy needs to be independent. we join together much like at the end of the first movie and a new independence day is made. could be a way to make multiple sequels. Im not saying have a bunch of corny aliens like star wars or some shit but maybe two or three other realistic looking alien races. ive always thought that aliens close to earth would look more like humans then aliens farther away. So the aliens from the first movie came from outside the galaxy and the aliens that just had they planet destroyed look alot like us. just a long ass thought
It may be moot, but it is fun to talk about.
maybe we are exploring space with thier tech and crash land on an alien planet, and its the same storyline but we are the invaders getting our men back and its told from a whole different perspective…. ?
It should be done by some other company, not Fox.
And Latino Review said the movie probably isn’t happening anyway.
@red skull
that sounds like the Predator reboot (sorta).
Is it uncouth to say I like my idea better?
@M-Cat
yeah, but for some reason, the possible plots are intriguing to me.
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Anyway, I could see Smith as a fighter pilot still, but of new planes based on the alien technology. Squadron leader type guy.
And Goldbloom could be an expert in the Alien Technology. Helping use it to rebuild Earth.
I would watch that.
I think the studio should just save ther money and invest in something that will actually be good & sell to a wider audience
the first was preety dahm awful
i agree. leave it be the classic that it is. no need to cheapen it by creating a sequel.
I think ID4 would be hard to sequel. It had a new spin and a lot of wow factor. The second wouldn’t be able to do that. Don’t get me wrong I’d love to see a well done sequel. But with our media I don’t know if its possible
I also think it could be done without Will or Jeff but it would somehow be cheapened because it was soo much about them.
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