Independence Day: Sequel failed to bring Will Smith back, according to Vivica A. Fox.

Independence Day: Resurgencethe sequel to Roland Emmerich’s 1996 film is beyond doubt. one of the worst sequels ever made from Hollywood and, according to the film’s star, Vivica A. Foxone of the main problems is the inability to return Will Smith.

Speaking to The A.V. Club (via Variety), Fox admitted that he felt the sequel “didn’t live up to the expectations” of the original film and that Smith’s failure to return was a big part of the failure of Independence Day: Resurgence, which was released in theaters. in 2016, twenty years after the release of the first film.

“I really feel like we lost something by not bringing Will Smith back. Fox said. “We had most of the original cast, but I think the only real connection missing from the success of Independence Day 2 was the absence of Will Smith. To be honest, I was at the premiere and I thought… Let’s see how the fans take it, and of course they responded to me on Twitter, leaving no doubt.

Initially. Will Smith was set to return in not one, but two Independence Day sequels. When it was released in 1996, Independence Day was a hit—the film was the highest-grossing film that year with $817 million in worldwide ticket sales. — and according to producer Dean Devlin, Smith originally planned to return for not one, but two sequels.

“(Director) Roland (Emmerich) and I wrote it ourselves – the studio didn’t pay us,” Devlin said. “Before writing even one word, we met with Will Smith and said: “We have such an idea.” He loved it and was very excited about it. We wrote not one, but two sequels with him and handed them over to the studio. They went berserk and immediately gave the green light; they told us, “This is the best first draft of a script we’ve ever read.”

At the time, sequels were called ID Forever Part 1 AND ID Forever Part 2 and would have focused on Smith’s Steven Hiller, once again tasked with handling an intergalactic threat.

“It was a bit like Rocky III” Devlin talked about these sequels. “He got rich and famous and had to get his tiger eye back, you know? He’s too comfortable and this is his chance to bring old Will Smith back into retirement.”

Smith may have turned down the Independence Day sequel because of a different sci-fi film, Devlin revealed, who later explained that he thought Smith dropped the project due to the sci-fi film’s disappointing reception in 2013. . After Earth.

“Suddenly he refused”Devlin thought. “We were shocked. In hindsight, I think he felt a little burned because he made this sci-fi movie that didn’t do well and was generally worried about making sequels. In the end, he didn’t want to do it, but the studio wanted to continue anyway, and we were stuck in development for a while.

Personally, I still remember sadly the paid ticket for the sequel to Independence Day, but I don’t think that the presence of Will Smith would have helped a coming disaster like the one that appeared on the big screen.