Latino Review got the chance to interview director Roland Emmerich while he was on the rounds promoting his latest end of the world movie 2012, and they asking him about making a sequel to his 1996 end of the world movie Independence Day.
LatinoReview: I heard there was a script for a sequel. What’s the real reason there is no sequel?
Emmerich: Dean Devlin and I are still set to make a sequel likely because we’ve found some sort of idea and we approached FOX and FOX has not quite figured out how to incorporate Dean’s and my deal, and Will’s (Smith) deal. Will wants to do it in some sort of a package they can live with. So it’s just been in negations now since forever, and naturally FOX says “Why don’t you do it without Will Smith?” I said Will is essential for us, for this movie and actually for the audience too. And, so, it’s in limbo and lately the studios are fighting. Like gross players, and Will is a gross player and is probably the only gross player right now who’s worth his gross. So we’ll see what happens. I would love to do it.
LatinoReview: But there is a story right?
Emmerich: Oh yeah! There’s a story. There’s a very really good great story, a very cool one.
So the sequel may movie forward if they can sort out who’s getting paid what. Everyone knows Will Smith brings in the money, and he will no doubt be asking for his share.
For Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull Harrison Ford turned down an upfront fee and instead made a deal to take a % of the box office gross. As the movie made $786 million worldwide he walked away with a cool $43.3 million. Independence Day made $817 worldwide. Can you see what Smith and Emmerich are thinking here? And can you see why Fox are trying to get Emmerich to do it without Smith? They don’t want to pay him $40+ million or whatever the deal is. I haven’t done the numbers but i’d say Smith was worth it. He’s got worldwide appeal, not many actors have that.
Would you be up for an Independence Day 2? Would you see the sequel if Will Smith wasn’t involved?
