When it was confirmed that Will Smith was not set to return for Independence Day: Resurgence, the sequel to 1996’s Independence Day, many were left wondering if/how the filmmakers would explain his character’s absence in the film. However, when a viral website for the film launched online only a day after the first official trailer debuted, it was revealed that Smith’s character Steven Hiller died while test piloting a new alien hybrid fighter that inexplicably malfunctioned, in between the events of the Independence Day and Resurgence. Now, Smith has decided to share his thoughts on the fate of Hiller and how he expects to react to the upcoming sequel when he watches it.
During a recent interview with Yahoo to promote his new movie Concussion, the actor, in reference to Resurgence‘s production and reprising his role, said, “I was working on Suicide Squad during that time. [Independence Day director] Roland [Emmerich] and I had talked about it. The trailer looks really cool. I’m going to be sitting around with tears in my eyes when that one comes out… It was terrible when I found out my character died.”
Hiller’s wife Jasmine, played by Vivica A. Fox, will be coming back for the sequel, while newcomer Jessie Usher is on board to play Hiller’s son Dylan.
We always knew they were coming back. After INDEPENDENCE DAY redefined the event movie genre, the next epic chapter delivers global spectacle on an unimaginable scale. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens’ advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction.
Independence Day: Resurgence is set for release on June 24th 2016, with Roland Emmerich directing returning stars Jeff Goldblum, Vivica A. Fox, Judd Hirsch, Brent Spiner and Bill Pullman alongside new additions Liam Hemsworth (The Hunger Games), Charlotte Gainsbourg (Nymphomaniac), Maika Monroe (It Follows), Sela Ward (The Day After Tomorrow), Joey King (Wish I Was Here), Jessie Usher (When The Game Stands Tall), Angelababy (Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon) and William Fichtner (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng&v=R7AFmg2LsJs
Originally published January 3, 2016. Updated November 29, 2022.
