Independence Day 3: If It’s Happening, Roland Emmerich’s Ideas & Everything We KnowBYSHAWN S. LEALOSPUBLISHED JUL 16, 2023

There is still hope for an Independence Day 3, and here is what we know about the story, cast, and possible release strategy for the movie.

The Independence Day 3 news has been slowly coming in, as director Roland Emmerich wants to make another sequel, but the studio has been tight-lipped about the possibility. Part of the reason for the delays is that Independence Day: Resurgence was a box office disappointment in 2016. The movie only made $103 million domestically on a $165 million production budget. While it did hit $384 million worldwide, that wasn’t enough to satisfy the studios, and while Emmerich has plans for a third movie, things remain silent right now at Disney.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

However, it’s sensible to never say never when it comes to reboots and sequels of popular franchises, and the original Independence Day remains a beloved movie for many fans. Emmerich has said he had plans for the third movie while making Independence Day: Resurgence, but he ended up not moving forward immediately thanks to the box office. With that said, Roland Emmerich seems to have big ideas for Independence Day 3, and they could include a smaller budget and the passing up of theatrical releases in favor of streaming, and even a possible series rather than an actual third movie. Whether Disney takes him up on that is another story.

The Latest Independence Day 3 News

The most recent Independence Day 3 news came in 20231 when director Roland Emmerich made it clear that he wanted to make the movie for Disney+ streaming, although there’s been no word since. This seems a little surprising since Independence Day and its lesser-acclaimed sequel were made for the enormous theater screens, with all the mass destruction and CGI effects. Bringing it to the TV screens seems like it might not carry the same weight. However, Emmerich had big ideas for the franchise as either a third movie or even as a streaming series for Disney+.

“They have now a streaming service and they need product. I would love to do maybe a third one, or a TV show, continuing the story. When we did Independence Day: Resurgence, we already had, also, the third part already.”

Independence Day 3 is Not Confirmed

There is no confirmation of an Independence Day 3 release date, or even of it going into production. All that is known now is that Roland Emmerich wanted to make the movie or a follow-up series, and he had some ideas for it. Until there is a confirmation that the franchise is alive and well, there won’t be any Independence Day 3 release date news.

Independence Day 3 Cast

With the movie not in production or announced, there is no news on an Independence Day 3 cast. However, there was one big casting problem that came with Independence Day: Resurgence which Independence Day 3 would have to overcome. While it was nice to have Jeff Goldblum back as David Levinson, the sequel to Independence Day really missed Will Smith as Captain Steven Hiller. Emmerich tried to make up for it by casting Jessie T. Usher as Dylan Hiller, Smith’s character’s son, but it wasn’t the same. Liam Hemsworth was also in the movie as Jake Morrison, another part of the second generation of humans fighting to save the planet. However, Vivica A. Fox and many others said the film needed Will Smith (via A.V. Club).

I really feel we missed out by not bringing Will Smith back. We had most of the original cast, but I think the one true link that was missing to the success of Independence Day 2 was that Will Smith wasn’t there.

Smith’s Steven Hiller dying offscreen was a mistake, but it also opens up a chance to fix that mistake in the Independence Day 3 cast. Since his death was offscreen, this means that Emmerich could bring him back with a weak excuse that he wasn’t dead, but was in hiding or something similar. Smith didn’t want to take part in the sequel, but his career since his Oscars incident has made it to where he might want to reconsider. However, until the movie gets greenlit, there is no news here.

Independence Day 3 Story Details

When Roland Emmerich announced the Independence Day 3 news that he wanted to make a new movie or series, he also mentioned several ideas that he had for the franchise. As a matter of fact, he said, “When we did Independence Day: Resurgence, we already had, also, the third part already.” According to Emmerich, the Independence Day 3 story ties in more with the first movie than the sequel. He said there are a lot of refugees living on a refugee planet and the aliens learn they are there and set out for that planet. These people are all humans, “but in different forms” and this is about how they live and fight to survive.

“It doesn’t matter, whoever does it, but I feel very passionate about it, very, very passionate, because it was a little bit like… this movie single-handedly also got me total freedom. I have final cut since then. I pretty much do my own thing. That’s why both Stargate and Independence Day are seminal movies for me. They pretty much created all of what I did afterwards.”

The second movie took place so long after the first because of how long it takes to travel through wormholes, and that is why Emmerich decided to have this as the story of the sons fighting the battles their fathers fought before them, although Jeff Goldblum’s character was back, just as an older and wiser man. However, when he was making Independence Day: Resurgence, Emmerich wanted it to be the first part of a two-part sequel. He never got that, at the time, because the movie was a box office and critical failure. With that said, if a streaming service like Disney+ gave him a chance, Emmerich feels he would have the perfect Independence Day 3 plot.