The hoopla surrounding the Independence Day sequel continues as it has been reported, by Deadline, that Will Smith has counted himself out of the impending sequel.
Director, Roland Emmerich and co writer/producer Dean Devlin have had their fair share of setbacks when it comes to the Independence Day sequel, with the pair attempting to square off the formalities of the project for a number of years now. To their credit, though, the project has gained a lot of momentum in the past 6 months, with a projected release aligning with the 4th of July 2016, and the 20th anniversary of the original ID (has it been 20 years already? Good God)
The news that Smith is passing on the sequel of the film, that arguably paved the way for his successful film career, is just the latest setback for Emmerich and Devlin.
However, Deadline reports, that plans had already been in place for the movie to lack its biggest star. It seems, that the news may have been anticipated, with Emmerich and Devlin writing two first draft scripts, one featuring Smith and one without him, before handing it over to The Amazing Spiderman writer James Vanderbilt for final shaping.
Mike Fleming Jr, of Deadline reports 'I don't believe that Smith has had the final conversation yet with Emmerich, but that will likely happen shortly. I was told not to set this in stone, because Smith has been back and forth before on whether to make the movie, though I hear he is pretty much decided.'
So, what do we make of all this? Is there much point in making the film without our man, Will? An Independence Day sequel without Smith is, surely, like trying to have a turkey and ham sandwich without the stuffing. It'll be grand, enjoyable even, but you'll know, the entire time, that there's something missing.
