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Monday
12Oct2009

Roland Emmerich Talks 'Independence Day' Sequel

DateMonday, October 12, 2009 at 2:59PM
Telling Latino Review that "there's a very really good great story, a very cool one" for a possible Independence Day sequel, director Roland Emmerich says a follow-up has been in negotiations for some time now.

The Master of Disaster has 2012 in theaters next month, but there has been talk about this sequel (or at least a sequel) to Independence Day for years and years. It was one of the ten biggest movies of the 1990s, so you'd think sequel talk would be a natural, although some of the other blockbusters in that same category from the previous decade were one-and-dones, too.

The big question is what to do about Will Smith. He was not the world's biggest movie star in 1996, so if he were to come back for a sequel to the movie that solidified his standing as a box office draw, somebody would be backing the truck up, as Emmerich notes:

"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 negations 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."

So will Fox come forward and give Smith a giant contract plus a percentage of the gross? Well, the fifteen year anniversary is two summers away, and this could be a great way to hit back at Transformers. That film is scheduled to open on July 1st, but there's nothing due out on July 8th. Not yet, anyway. I doubt this could all come together that quickly, but it does sound like it will come together somehow and someday.

AuthorColin Boyd | | in , , , , , | Print ArticlePrint Article | | Comment2 Comments |

Reader Comments (2)

DOESN'T ANYONE HAVE ANY MISSILES LEFT?!?!?

Tuesday, October 13, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterPresident Thomas Whitmore

"Look at your ship all banged up!"

Oh yeah this is a quotable movie.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009 | Unregistered Commenterwhitewolf2k3

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