MovieChat Forums > Independence Day: Resurgence (2016) Discussion > The alleged true reason why Will Smith d...

The alleged true reason why Will Smith didn't come back

posted 4 years ago by TMC-4 (19425)
5 replies | jump to latest

http://www.agcwebpages.com/BLINDITEMS/2015/DEC.html

237. BLIND GOSSIP 12/17 **#2**

http://blindgossip.com/?p=75565

When sequels to blockbuster films are made, it is only natural to want to bring back as many of the original characters as possible. For example, the original cast members from Star Wars (Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill) are all back for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. However, that didn’t happen for the sequel to another blockbuster film that will be out next year. While many of the original cast are back, the star of the original film is not! What happened? Well, the Original Lead Actor claims that he was just too busy. We hear that it’s actually due to two completely different reasons! The first is that the Actor was demanding a HUGE cut of the back end. The number was so high that it would have seriously cut into the profitability of the film. The second reason is that he insisted that one of his kids be given a major role in the sequel. The Producer refused him on both counts… and then cast the lead with a younger, hotter actor who is in no way related to the Original Lead Actor. We hear that the Original Lead Actor was genuinely shocked by this turn of events and very unhappy that he is not part of the sequel to one of the biggest films of his career.
Sequel: "Independence Day: Resurgence"
Actor: Will Smith (Jaden or Willow)
Recast lead: Liam Hemsworth

[–] Kowalski (58863) 4 years ago

HIS CHARACTER'S SON IS DECENT SIZED ROLL IN THE SEQUEL...I COULD SEE WHY HE WOULD HAVE WANTED HIS KID IN THAT ROLE,BUT I ALSO HATE THAT ABOUT HIM...I WONDER WHEN AND HOW THE HIS CHARACTER BEING DEAD CAME UP.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8305) 3 years ago

Jaden Smith in that role would only have made the film worse, not better. Talk about turning the movie into a vanity project.

Where the movie really failed though was on a story level. The script is the bedrock of any good movie, the very foundation upon which everything else stands. Unfortunately for this film the foundation was cracked and unstable as fuck.

I could understand it if they had rushed a sequel in the 90s, but they had two decades to put this thing together. And this is the best they could come up with?

[–] CoachGainz (453) 3 years ago

Yeah, thing is they didn't spend 2 decades thinking and putting it together. The studio was hot to make a sequel since the original released. However, Dean Devlin the writer of the ID4 stated he couldn't crack a good story and gave the studio their money back instead of turning in a script.

Then his good pal Roland ran out of high level work around anonymous and White House Down not preforming at expectations. So, I'm sure the studio poked and said "hey you know that ID4 movie that made 800M 1996 dollars... we could use a sequel or two that". Then he and Dean kicked out a couple of scripts in a matter of weeks.

Then Will Smith somewhere along the lines of wanting too much money, having too busy a schedule, and not liking the script didn't return. So they had to rewrite the script around Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum... 2 guys in their 60's far past their prime. So then they had another plan of writing in younger characters to act as the young leads but as supporting actors with limited lines.

Still doesn't excuse just how bad the script was for this. The studio should have never moved forward with it. Should have at least brought in writers with better scripts and ideas. I would have paid somebody big money just to redo the screenplay. But I'm sure there are serious politics involved with all these things. Easier said than done kind of deal.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8305) 3 years ago

Considering how big of a hit the original film was it seems like the studio would've started working on this immediately and just kept working on it until they got it right. Can you imagine a movie being so successful today and then not getting a sequel within a few years? I can't.

Is this Roland Emmerich's worst movie? I'd think it would have to be this or 2012. I don't say that as an Emmerich hater; he's made some of my favorite movies, like the first Independence Day and The Patriot. Luckily he got back on track somewhat with Midway, which was a film that I wasn't super impressed with the first time around but that I liked a lot more when I gave it a second viewing.

It really is a shame that ID: Resurgence isn't better. I think the first movie is a hell of a lot of fun and still remember seeing it in the theater. Today I own it on 4K Blu-Ray. But Resurgence is awful and will go down as one of my biggest cinematic disappointments of all time.

[–] CoachGainz (453) 3 years ago

Yup. I think they either couldn't make it without Dean and Roland or wouldn't. Personally I think its one of the biggest mistakes studios make. Rushing sequels and moving forward without the original directors or writers. So in this case I agree with their decision.

However, I'm shocked they moved forward with the script but they may have been worried if they didn't get started it would never get made.