Charlotte Gainsbourg Joins Independence Day 2

In one of the most interesting pieces of casting news to land this week, THR reports that Charlotte Gainsbourg has entered talks to appear in sci-fi sequel Independence Day 2. The actress is known for her aggressively method performances in Lars Von Trier’s back catalogue of works including Nymphomaniac, Antichrist and Melancholia, so stepping away from character-driven pieces and into the realm of blockbuster fare is certainly an unexpected move for Gainsbourg.

The long-gestating follow-up to Roland Emmerich’s 1996 box office behemoth has hit headlines in recent weeks due to an influx of new cast members. In addition to today’s news, Emmerich – who’s back at the helm – took to Twitter not long ago to announce Jeff Goldblum’s return as scientist David Levinson. Along with original star Will Smith (who won’t be reprising his role), Goldblum knocked out the alien threat by administering a digital virus to the extraterrestrial’s computer system. In the same breath, the filmmaker revealed that Liam Hemsworth was locked in to star in an as-yet unknown leading role. Rounding out the ensemble is Jessie Usher as the son of Smith’s character, Steven Miller.

What we know of the story is minimal to say the least. James A. Woods and Nicolas Wright were the last two scribes reported to be hammering out a new script based on earlier drafts by James Vanderbilt (The Amazing Spider-Man) and Carter Blanchard (Kindergarten Heroes). Their version of the script may or may not pertain to story leaks from Emmerich. If those initial details remain intact, Independence Day 2 is poised to pick up twenty years after the first with humans now in possession of the alien technology which threatened to overthrow mankind.