Upon doing the press rounds for his soon-to-be-released civil rights drama Stonewall, director Roland Emmerich has touched base on his return to the blockbuster scene with next summer’s Independence Day: Resurgence.
Having only wrapped initial production late last month, the long-gestating sequel is now incubating in post, as the VFX artists bring to life what is no doubt an effects-laden release. Primed to launch a full two decades after its predecessor, Resurgence will explore a scenario where the countries of the world have united against a common enemy, with the remnants of humanity existing in a post-war generation.
Referring to the events of the original as the War of ’96, Emmerich has hatched a plan that will see those survivors establish a radically different defense program. Armed with the recovered alien technology from the initial invasion, the inhabitants of Earth believe they’re well equipped to deal with any galactic threat that could speed into the solar system, though the alien race in Independence Day: Resurgence are said to be more advanced than anyone could have ever predicted – even more so than Jeff Goldblum’s returning MIT expert, David Levinson.
Speaking to Collider about next year’s high-profile sequel, the director explains the ways in which the film is designed to expand the universe that was first mapped out all those years ago.
“Well, it’s only like one of the hives, like kind of moving around. [Laughs] What we did this time, we tried to expand the universe, too. It’s not as simple as the last one because you cannot make it as simple as the last one. Also it’s a little bit about what happened to our world when you know that they are coming back. We had 20 years to come together as a planet and to build incredible things to have a little more even fight.”
Will Smith may have opted to forgo a role in Resurgence, though Emmerich has brought together casts members both old and new, including Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, Jeff Goldblum, Vivica A. Fox, Brent Spiner, Sela Ward, Maika Monroe, Liam Hemsworth, Jessie Usher.
Planet Earth will play host to an entirely new wave of extraterrestrials when Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day: Resurgence lands in theaters on June 24, 2016.
