A livestreamed Q&A with the cast and crew of the Independence Day sequel has given us some hints as to the story and setting of the second installment of the 20-year-old blockbuster, and it sounds kind of bonkers.
The official synopsis:
We always knew they were coming back. After Independence Day redefined the event movie genre, the next epic chapter delivers global spectacle on an unimaginable scale. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens' advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction.
Much like Jurassic World, Independence Day Resurgence (yes, that's the new name) picks up its story in time with the real world. It's been twenty years since the events of Independence Day, and humanity has not been idle. We've even reverse-engineered alien technology and hybridized it with our own. And yes, they are, again, going to attack us on July 4.
Cast and crew also shared a few hints about the film's handful of returning characters. Jeff Goldblum's David Levinson is the leader of some sort of Earth Space Defense program. Vivica A. Fox's Jasmine (Will Smith's love interest from the original film) is a hospital administrator, while her son Dylan has grown up as the "son of the savior." Patricia Whitmore, the daughter of Bill Pullman's President Whitmore, has followed in her father's footsteps to become a pilot, and works in "some capacity" for the White House.
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Patricia and Dylan, portrayed by child actors in the original film, have been recast (even though Patricia was, in fact, played by Mae Whitman of Arrested Development). And while Will Smith will not be returning for the movie, Brent Spiner will.
Yes, he was in Independence Day. We're looking forward to seeing whether the movie explains how he survived being attacked by an alien. You can watch the whole press event, with a view of some of those alien/human hybrid ships, right here:
