‘Independence Day 2’ Delayed Until 2016


Director Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day 2 won’t hit the big screen in 2015.

The folks at 20th Century Fox recently shuffled a number of their upcoming motion pictures around the cinematic calendar. Although most of their endeavors are still headed to theaters in 2015, the studio decided to postponed Emmerich’s sequel by an entire year.

According to Variety, Independence Day 2 won’t hit your neighborhood multiplex until July 1, 2016. The movie was originally slated to arrive on July 1, 2015. The follow-up will now arrive roughly 21 years after the original flick bowed in theaters. Don’t feel bad if that revelation makes you feel incredibly old.

It’s currently unknown why 20th Century Fox decided to delay the sequel. No reasons for the postponement were given as of this writing. Could this mean producers are waiting around for Will Smith? Probably not. Emmerich previously revealed that the I Am Legend star probably won’t return.

However, this doesn’t mean Emmerich isn’t taking the actor into consideration. Indiewire reported late last month that White House Down scribe James Vanderbilt was recently hired to write two different scripts for Independence Day 2. One features Smith’s character and the other doesn’t.

Emmerich also explained that work on the follow-up isn’t exactly easy. Although the director seemed confident that the project would happen, his interview with the website suggested the trials and tribulations associated with bringing the film to life are taking its toll on the guy.

When asked about the status of Independence Day 2, Emmerich said it was a “a daily battle… the budget, the schedules, the actors.” When a filmmaker is already referring to his upcoming motion picture as a “daily battle,” that doesn’t exactly bode well for the project.

Although the director previously stated that he wanted to make two sequels to Independence Day, he said earlier this year that the third installment was still up in the air. According to Emmerich, the fate of ID4 3 depends on how well ID4 2 does at the box office.

“We’ll only do the first part. Because we want to have the audience decide if they want to see the second, otherwise it feels arrogant. But I’m pretty confident,” he explained.

Considering the insane amount of motion pictures that are scheduled to arrive in 2015, chances are nobody will miss this one. Moviegoers still have Star Wars: Episode VII, The Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Batman vs. Superman to check out that year.

Are you disappointed that Independence 2 won’t hit theaters until 2016?

[Image via 20th Century Fox]

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