Exclusive: Will Smith's Original Plans for Independence Day 2 Revealed
Independence Day 2's original story plans for Will Smith revealed by writer-producer Dean Devlin Despite the success of the first film, the sequel failed to recapture the same magic and was largely blamed on Smith's absence Devlin sheds light on what could have been for Smith's character
Dean Devlin, the writer and producer of Independence Day 2, has recently disclosed the original story plans that he and Roland Emmerich had in mind for Will Smith’s character. The first Independence Day movie was a massive success, grossing $817 million at the box office and propelling Smith’s career from a rapper/sitcom actor to a movie star. However, the sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence, which was released much later, failed to replicate the same level of success, only earning $389 million. The film’s underwhelming performance was largely attributed to the studio’s inability to convince Smith to reprise his role as Steven Hiller.
It remains unknown whether Independence Day 2 would have been a blockbuster hit had Smith returned to play the lead character. Nonetheless, the original story that Devlin and Emmerich had in mind for Smith’s character was more intriguing than the final product that was released. Devlin recently revealed to Yahoo! Entertainment that the story, which had already been approved by 20th Century Fox before Smith dropped out of the project, was written specifically for Smith’s character. Keep reading for Devlin’s detailed account of the original story plans.
"When we first pitched the idea to Will Smith, he was immediately on board and excited to be a part of it. We even went above and beyond by writing not one, but two sequels with him in mind. The studio was blown away by our first draft and greenlit the project without hesitation. Our story was inspired by the classic underdog tale of Rocky III, where our protagonist had become too comfortable and needed to rediscover his edge. It was the perfect opportunity for Will Smith to reignite the old fire that made him a star.
Unfortunately, things took a turn when Will Smith dropped out of the project. His absence left a huge void that we couldn't fill, and as a result, the sequel fell short of its potential. Independence Day 2 could have been an amazing film, but without Will Smith, it just wasn't the same. His decision to step away ultimately cost the project, and we were left with a less-than-stellar follow-up to the original blockbuster hit."
When Will Smith decided not to return for Independence Day: Resurgence, the production team was left with a major challenge. According to director Roland Emmerich, they had to completely rewrite the script in just two weeks. As a result, Smith's character was killed off and the focus shifted to his stepson, Dylan, played by Jessie T. Usher. However, producer Dean Devlin revealed in a recent interview that it was the studio's decision to center the story on younger characters. Despite this, the film did bring back original Independence Day stars Jeff Goldblum, Judd Hirsch, and Bill Pullman. Devlin also noted that the studio wanted to scale back on humor, but he disagreed with this approach, pointing out the success of comedic elements in Marvel movies.
Independence Day: Resurgence had its fair share of challenges, but it was Will Smith's last-minute decision to drop out that dealt the final blow to the movie's success. As a result, plans for Independence Day 3 have been put on hold indefinitely, and even franchise co-creator Dean Devlin is no longer involved. The original story, with Smith's character seeking a Rocky III-style comeback after hitting rock bottom, had at least provided some direction. Unfortunately, we will never know what could have been. Meanwhile, Smith is focused on making his own comeback following the Oscars controversy, while the Independence Day series remains in limbo.
