"Independence Day" Director Says He Should Have Dropped Movie After Will Smith Left

BYErika Marie4.3K Views
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Will Smith
He's not a fan of his own sequel.

The blockbuster film Independence Day was unlike any other upon its release. The 1996 alien-centered action flick soon broke records as the highest-grossing film of the year and the second-highest of all time, following the dinosaur favorite Jurassic Park. The movie starred Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Randy Quaid, Vivica Fox, and a slew of others, and with the success of the first installment, it was expected for a second to hit the silver screens with just as grand of a worldwide applause. However, that's didn't happen.

Independence Day filmmaker Roland Emmerich was excited to see Independence Day return to theaters as a sequel in 2016, but he now says he wishes he would have jumped ship with Will. The actor was slated to appear in Independence Day: Resurgence alongside Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman, but Will dropped out to tackle another project.

"I just wanted to make a movie exactly like the first, but then in the middle of production Will opted out because he wanted to do Suicide Squad," Emmerich told Yahoo Movies UK. "I should have stopped making the movie because we had a much better script, then I had to really fast, cobble another script together. I should have just said no because all of a sudden I was making something I criticized myself: a sequel."

Did you see Independence Day: Resurgence? Should Will have stayed on that film?

About The Author
Erika Marie is a seasoned journalist, editor, and ghostwriter who works predominantly in the fields of music, spirituality, mental health advocacy, and social activism. The Los Angeles editor, storyteller, and activist has been involved in the behind-the-scenes workings of the entertainment industry for nearly two decades. E.M. attempts to write stories that are compelling while remaining informative and respectful. She's an advocate of lyrical witticism & the power of the pen. Favorites: Motown, New Jack Swing, '90s R&B, Hip Hop, Indie Rock, & Punk; Funk, Soul, Harlem Renaissance Jazz greats, and artists who innovate, not simply replicate.
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