Green Light for INDEPENDENCE DAY Sequel

Deadline is reporting that 2oth Century Fox executives have given the long-awaited green light to the Independence Day sequel from Roland Emmerich.

Slated for a release date of June 24, 2016, the film will begin production in May 2015. The next step is to secure Emmerich as director, after which casting will begin. The long-gestating project has had a completed script for a while, according to sources. However, the green light here only covers one film instead of two back-to-back productions as we’d been hearing about before, although Emmerich himself even said there was just one film to be made.

As of now, Will Smith will not be back to reprise his role as Captain Steven Hiller. Emmerich had told The Playlist that there are actually two versions of the script, allowing for the possibility that Smith would return.

Screenplay was rewritten by Carter Blanchard from a first draft done by Emmerich and Dean Devlin, then by James Vanderbilt. Emmerich and Devlin will produce with Harald Kloser.

The timing works out that the sequel will be in theaters just in time for the July 4th weekend, the 20th anniversary of the original film.