6.25 Will Smith 'INDEPENDENCE DAY 2' Update:

Last week Twentieth Century Fox officially announced a release date for Roland Emmerich's upcoming sequel to his 1996 blockbuster hit 'INDEPENDENCE DAY', The aliens are set to return to Earth for another show down with humans July 3rd, 2015.. At the time Bill Pullman was the only cast member known to be returning and mega-star Will Smith was not being asked back.. Even though at one time Emmerich once said a sequel wouldn't happen unless Smith was on board..

A couple of days ago - while promoting his upcoming flick 'WHITE HOUSE DOWN;, director Roland Emmerich said Will Smith won't be returning in the sequel, stating...

"Will Smith can not come back because he's too expensive, but he'd also be too much of a marquee name. It would be too much."

Hmmm ok I get too expensive, but to marquee? I would think a big name star can do nothing but help your big budget alien invasion flick.. But then again, Smith would probably want his son cast in the film as well.. And we all know, how well that went..

What is known about the plot: The story will take place 20 years after the events of the first film - "The humans knew that one day the aliens would come back… And they know that the only way you can really travel in space is through wormholes. So for the aliens, it could take two or three weeks, but for us that’s 20 or 25 years…. It’s a changed world. It’s like parallel history. [Humans] have harnessed all this alien technology. We don’t know how to duplicate it because it’s organically-grown technology, but we know how to take an anti-gravity device and put it in a human airplane…”