1. Independence Day: Resurgence is an upcoming 2016 American science fiction disaster film directed by Roland Emmerich, and written by Emmerich, Dean Devlin and Carter Blanchard.
2. It is the sequel to the 1996 film Independence Day.
3. The film stars Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, Vivica A. Fox and Brent Spiner, reprising their original roles, along with newcomers Liam Hemsworth, Jessie Usher, Maika Monroe, Sela Ward, Angelababy, Joey King, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Patrick St. Esprit and William Fichtner.
4. The film is scheduled for a June 24, 2016 release. Filming began on April 20, 2015 and ended on August 22, 2015.
5. The plot: Twenty years after the events of Independence Day, the international community recovers and the United Nations creates the Earth Space Defense (ESD), a united global defense program that serves as Earth’s early warning system and the main defense force using technology salvaged from remains of the alien forces, with some military forces assembled on the Moon. However, the aliens were able to send a distress signal to their other battalions before their final defeat while others went into hiding elsewhere around the world. The aliens in deep space receive the signal and send a larger battle fleet, threatening the human race once more.
6. In November 2014, the production was scheduled to begin in May 2015.
7. Filming was scheduled to begin on May 5, 2015 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
8. According to Twitter accounts of King and Devlin, filming began on April 20, 2015.
9. Filming wrapped on August 22, 2015.
10. Filming of additional scenes is taking place in early 2016 in Los Angeles.
11. Some scenes have also been filmed in London, at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands.
12. The film was originally going to be released on July 3, 2015.
13. On November 12, 2013, it was announced that the first sequel had been rescheduled for a July 2016 release.
14. The movie has been given a $200,000,000 budget, $125,000,000 more than its predecessor, Independence Day (1996), which had a $75,000,000 budget and had a box office result of $817,400,000, making it the highest grossing movie of 1996.
15. Soon after the success of the first film, 20th Century Fox paid Dean Devlin a large sum of money to write a script for a sequel. However, after completing the script, Devlin didn’t turn in the script and instead gave the money back to the studio, as he felt the story didn’t live up to the first film. It was only approximately 15 years later, that Devlin met up with Roland Emmerich to try again, having felt that they had “cracked” a story for a sequel.
16. Will Smith was supposed to reprise the role of Captain Steven Hiller, but Fox refused to meet his request for a $50 million salary for two sequels. Roland Emmerich confirmed Smith would not be returning for the sequel in June 2013 to Daily News, but mentioned that Jeff Goldblum would return to reprise his role as David Levinson. Additionally, Maika Monroe replaced Mae Whitman as Patricia Whitmore. Whitman did not officially comment on the change, aside from a re-tweet of a HitFix article on her Twitter account titled “The case of the missing Mae Whitman and ‘Independence Day 2′”, implying she was never approached. Ross Bagley, who played Dylan Hiller in the original film, had never been approached to reprise his role, either.
17. As of Wednesday 4th March 2015, director Roland Emmerich has confirmed that Jeff Goldblum will reprise his role of David Levinson.
18. Jessie Usher will play Will Smith’s characters’ step son in this sequel, while Liam Hemsworth will play Bill Pullman’s character’s son-in-law.
19. The project was officially green lit by 20th Century Fox on 27th November 2014.
20. Second collaboration between director Roland Emmerich and actress Sela Ward, the first being The Day After Tomorrow (2004).
21. This is Roland Emmerich’s first sequel.
22. Is shot in anamorphic Panavision unlike the original movie which was shot in Super-35.
23. With the passing of James Rebhorn, who played Albert Nimziki in the original movie, his character won’t reprise his role in the sequel.
24. Liam Hemsworth turned down the role of Jerôme in Nymphomaniac: Vol. I (2013) and Nymphomaniac: Vol. II (2013), which would have had him play the love interest of Charlotte Gainsbourg. They would eventually go on to appear together here.
25. Liam Hemsworth’s brother, Chris Hemsworth, appeared in Star Trek (2009) as the father of Captain Kirk (Chris Pine). Pine’s actual father, Robert Pine, appeared in the original Independence Day (1996). Brent Spiner appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987).
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