It appears that the Independence Day sequel is finally a go, and it has now locked in on the actor that it wants to cast as the new hero: The Hunger Games' Liam Hemsworth! The nearly two-decades-in-the-making sequel, titled ID Forever will finally get off the ground for a new generation of moviegoers.
According to a scoop from The Wrap, Liam Hemsworth, the younger brother of Thor star Chris Hemsworth, has been offered the leading role in the long-anticipated sequel to the 1996 perennial crowd-pleaser. Should the report prove true, this will be a major jump in the stock of the younger Hemsworth brother, as he attempts to fill the unmistakably charismatic leading man shoes of Will Smith - who, after a period of negotiations, decided he would not be returning for a second run with the Independence Day franchise.
With Liam Hemsworth in the spotlight - likely as the young hero who will somehow carry the burden of Earth’s fate on his shoulders - it will definitely mean a change in dynamic for the series. The casting is likely a nod to the Millennial generation, and is certainly a smart move in the sense that the awesome-but-aged franchise could likely use any donations of momentum from the phenomenal success of The Hunger Games series - in which Hemsworth plays a prominent part. However, it will be interesting to see if the role is written in a such a way to challenge his burgeoning acting chops and give us something memorable.
Next to nothing is known about the plot of Independence Day 2, which has gone through several seismic shifts over the years. There was talk at one point about the film being set 20 years after original, depicting an Earth that has spent the last few decades preparing for the inevitable return of the freaky dreadlocked aliens, armed with a new knowledge of travel through space by way of Insterstellar-like wormholes. This, of course, was before the script would be completely re-worked in early 2014.
Indeed, the last bit of news that we heard was last year when 20th Century Fox hired a scriptwriter named Carter Blanchard to re-write the script originally drafted by The Amazing Spider-Man 1 & 2 scribe, James Vanderbilt.What elements will remain from the original Vanderbilt script are still a mystery.
Original film director and habitual destroyer of worlds, Roland Emmerich is reportedly set to return to the helm of this sequel and original stars, Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman are also expected to reprise their roles as scientist David Levinson and (likely former) President and declarer of our independence, Thomas Whitmore. Additionally, the new Human Torch of the upcoming reboot, The Fantastic Four, Michael B. Jordan is also rumored to be circling a role.
ID Forever will upload viruses to hostile aliens computers, preventing their ability to download the film illegally when it is set to hit theaters nearly 20 years to the day of the original’s release, on June 24, 2016.
