'Independence Day 2' Release Date, Cast Rumors: Liam Hemsworth to Replace Will Smith?
"Independence Day 2" will reportedly feature Liam Hemsworth as the lead character instead of Will Smith.
Smith has refused to reprise his role in the upcoming franchise of the 1996 original film. Reports say that Hemsworth has received the offer for the role but 20th Century Fox has not responded to the news.
If the reports are true, Hemsworth has big shoes to fill since Smith's portrayal of Captain Steven Hiller earned rave reviews. There are speculations that casting Hemsworth is in favor to the younger generation, which is dubbed as the Millenials. Hemsworth could also reportedly bring in the hype from his successful film "The Hunger Games" into the long-awaited sequel of "Independence Day."
The 1996 "Independence Day" movie gained a whopping $817.4 million in international box office sales. The film studio is reportedly hopeful that the sequel will achieve the same success as the orginal.
As for the storyline of "Independence Day 2," there is still no official plot revealed but it will reportedly take place 20 years after the first film. At this time, people on Earth are focused on their preparation for the return of the aliens. The humans are now equipped with new knowledge such as space travel.
The script will reportedly be rewritten by Carter Blanchard, who is newly hired by 20th Century Fox. The script was originally created by "The Amazing Spiderman" franchise writer James Vanderbilt. There are no reports yet if the script will keep some original details or will get a major overhaul.
Although Smith is not coming back, Jeff Goldblum will reportedly reprise his role as scientist David Levinson and Bill Pulman will appear again as US president Thomas Whitmore. In addition, Michael B. Jordan from the new "Fantastic Four" reboot will reportedly be joining "Independence Day 2."
The highly anticipated "Independence Day 2" will hit theatres on June 24, 2016.
