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

BY Erika Marie 4.3K 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
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.

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