INDEPENDENCE DAY Sequel Still on the Horizon?

After raking in over $300 million back in 1996 (which amounts to almost $500 million adjusted), it’s a wonder a sequel to INDEPENDENCE DAY never happened.  There have been rumors for years, and the people over at Latino Review recently had a sit-down with director Roland Emmerich about the project.  It wasn’t their first question, but let’s start with Emmerich’s answer to whether or not there is a story.

Oh yeah! There’s a story. There’s a very really good great story, a very cool one.

Great, so what’s the hold-up.  Essentially, Emmerich states in the interview that Will Smith and Fox’s idea of fighting gross players are butting heads.  A sequel to INDEPENDENCE DAY is trapped in the middle, fighting to get made.

FOX has not quite figured out how to incorporate Dean’s and my deal, and Will’s (Smith) deal.

Emmerich also states in the interview that Fox suggested to he and producer Dean Devlin that they make the film without Smith, something Emmerich  emphatically  states is an impossibility.  That part of the interview, I have a tough time believing.  Fox knows that Smith was a huge part in INDEPENDENCE DAY making so much money, and their suggestion to make a sequel without him would be less than intelligent.

For more of the interview as well as a nice breakdown on Gross Point, check out Latino Review.

As a related note, Devlin and Emmerich haven’t collaborated on a film since 2000’s THE PATRIOT.  The two split in 2001 after Sony failed to renew a multi-year deal with their production company, Centropolis.  Devlin formed his own company, Electric Entertainment.  While I’m not saying this has anything to do with ID2 not getting made, there certainly seems to be an amount of smoke there.