Genre: Action/Science Fiction.
Studio:
Twentieth Century Fox.
Production Company:
Unknown.
Project Phase: Movies Rumored.
Who's In It:
Unknown.
Who's Making It:
Unknown.
Premise: Unknown.
Release Date: Unknown.
Comments: See Rumors. Although we'd like to suggest some statuatory holidays the aliens could invade on that make nifty titles:
Groundhog Day 2: Judgement Day, although the title of a comedic film from a few years back, could take the series in an entirely new direction. Imagine the early morning of February 2nd, frost sparkling on the frozen ground. From a small hole a tiny furry form tentively emerges from his underground lair, sniffing the air questioningly. It glances upward into the clear blue sky at the warming sun and starts to venture forth... just as the shadow of a 15-mile-wide saucer falls upon the ground. The animal decides winter is still going to be around and rapidly decends back into it's subterranean home. Bill Murray plays the vice president and Linda Hamilton the xenobiologist/love interest of the President.
In Forced Labor Day the aliens return and enslave the population by placing a computer virus in all copies of Windows 95. In a slave pit, Bill Gates allies with Jeff Goldblum, Will Smith and Bill Pullman to counter-attack with the Apple notebook used in the original ID4. Humanity wins, and President Whitmore is elected again by instituting a new national holiday celebrating the personal computer, complete with statutory pay.
Independence Days. A new 5-day-long group of national holidays are created in the aftermath of the war of ID4. However, we learn that the remainder of the alien forces are organizing a massive offensive on the husk of their last conquerored world. Rallying a group of hunky, extremely-well paid action stars, Will Smith leads them to "give them a close encounter of their worst kind."
Strange Days finds the world on the brink of the year 2000, and...er, never mind.
And, finally, we suggest Vindication Day. The aliens return en masse and attack; we counter-attack with technology gained from their lost city-ships. A huge battle that rages across the breadth of the solar system results. The moon gets blown up. The sub-continent of India is vaporized by falling debris. A third, mysterous alien force is seen helping both sides. And the show isn't less than three hours in length. The movie smashes ID4 opening day weekend grosses as the world governments actually create a holiday so the throngs of people can afford to wait six hours for tickets. One little snag though: the slogan VD4 isn't just as catchy as its predecessor.
Rumors:
April 16, 1997... A reliable source has told CA of a possible new storyline developing for an ID4 sequel. It should be stressed that this is only a possible storyline being discussed by the film's creators and may not be developed.
According to the source, the sequel would begin with the humans finding out that a emergency distress beacon was broadcast from the aliens moments before their destruction. The signal will undoubtably reach the remainder of their race. Scientists guess that any follow-up attack will take five years to arrive.
In the subsequent five years Earth rebuilds from the rubble and backengineers the alien technology. This new technology picks up signals coming from deep space - a larger strike force is heading towards Earth, intent upon revenge.
As early in development as it is now, only two characters would return in the sequel. The President would begin to suffer and mentally deteriorate as a side-effect of the alien mind-meld he experienced in Area 51. Also returning would be Randy Quaid's son (portayed by Jimmy Duvall), this time as pilot of the new hybrid of human-alien combat craft in the military.
For five years the Earth prepares a strike force to repulse the second wave. When the moment arrives, the new alien vessel that enters the solar system is even more massive and powerful than the last one - and they're prepared. Earth forces lose their battle in space. The giant ship arrives near Earth and then begins dispatching millions of troops across the world - forcing a land battle.
That's all supposed to be in the first hour of screen time.
Plans are for Dean Devlin to begin writing the sequel after his stint on Godzilla is complete. Roland Emmerich should also return as a collaborator. The word is this is to be a Summer 1999 release, either in direct competition of the new Star Wars feature or as a one-two punch for Fox at theaters, depending upon if the studio gets the distribution rights to Lucas' prequels.
The anonymous source is known to us and has been reliable in the past, but again we wish to stress that this is an idea being kicked around right now. It could change or be replaced by another, depending upon a wide variety of factors: involvement with key actors, for example. But you've been warned: plans are already afoot. The title they've playing around with? ID4EVER. Week of July 7, 1996... In the wake of the unprecedented weekend opening of Independence Day, word has begun to filter out of Hollywood about a sequel. For some weeks now, some industry insiders have been hearing rumors about Fox asking for development to begin on a sequel, but did not want to publically commit to anything before the film's launch. On the July 8th edition of Entertainment Tonight, actor Bill Pullman was asked about his thoughts on a sequel. He responded aloofly, saying it would be interesting to see how "the Prez" turned out a couple of years later.
Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin are in hot demand at the moment, and you can bet these two will have no trouble in coming up with a new storyline. We're predicting that by the fall you'll hear something about the next invasion.
Scoop Feedback:
July 8, 1996... [Some information provided by 'Gazza'.]
August 13, 1996... In an interview with Variety's Army Archard, Jeff Goldblum says that he's game for a follow-up to Independance Day. Goldblum also reports the idea is "in the works". [Scoop reported by Diane.]
October 15, 1996... While commenting on their greenlight to start writing the script for Godzilla, Dean Devlin dismissed any sequel to their 1996 blockbuster. Devlin felt that there wasn't enough to motivate them creatively right now, and that any sequel they attempted at this stage of time would be for financial reasons only. He also doesn't like the idea of someone else attempting the sequel project. [Scoop reported by Cory, Christian and anonymously; originally reported by Variety.]
November 25, 1996... According to a "recent television show" this scooper watched, Independence Day 2 is said to be in the works. Suuposedly a second fleet comes along right after the events from the first film... [Scoop sent in anonymously.]
April 16, 1997... A reliable source has told CA of a possible new storyline developing for an ID4 sequel. It should be stressed that this is only a possible storyline being discussed by the film's creators and may not be developed.
According to the source, the sequel would begin with the humans finding out that a emergency distress beacon was broadcast from the aliens moments before their destruction. The signal will undoubtably reach the remainder of their race. Scientists guess that any follow-up attack will take five years to arrive.
In the subsequent five years Earth rebuilds from the rubble and backengineers the alien technology. This new technology picks up signals coming from deep space - a larger strike force is heading towards Earth, intent upon revenge.
As early in development as it is now, only two characters would return in the sequel. The President would begin to suffer and mentally deteriorate as a side-effect of the alien mind-meld he experienced in Area 51. Also returning would be Randy Quaid's son (portayed by Jimmy Duvall), this time as pilot of the new hybrid of human-alien combat craft in the military.
For five years the Earth prepares a strike force to repulse the second wave. When the moment arrives, the new alien vessel that enters the solar system is even more massive and powerful than the last one - and they're prepared. Earth forces lose their battle in space. The giant ship arrives near Earth and then begins dispatching millions of troops across the world - forcing a land battle. Combat would rage across the globe the like of which Mankind has never experienced before.
That's all supposed to be in the first hour of screen time.
Plans are for Dean Devlin to begin writing the sequel after his stint on Godzilla is complete. Roland Emmerich should also return as a collaborator. The word is this is to be a Summer 1999 release, either in direct competition of the new Star Wars feature or as a one-two punch for Fox at theaters, depending upon if the studio gets the distribution rights to Lucas' prequels.
The anonymous source is known to us and has been reliable in the past, but again we wish to stress that this is an idea being kicked around right now. It could change or be replaced by another, depending upon a wide variety of factors: involvement with key actors, for example. But you've been warned: plans are already afoot. The title they've playing around with? ID4EVER. [Scoop from an anonymous source.]
May 18, 1997... This scooper was told in early April by the President of 20th Century Fox Eastern Europe that the ID4-2 shooting will not begin before 2001. Emmerich and Devlin are definitely involved. [Info attained by 'fuxoft'.]
April 7, 1998... In the wake of the bad feelings Devlin and Emmerich have at Fox for the cancellation of their television series The Visitor and their multi-million dollar deal with Sony Pictures, don't look for the star duo to return to craft a sequel to their 1996 monster hit Independence Day. In what appears to be one of the final nails in the coffin, a scooper reports that ID4 co-writer and producer Dean Devlin responded to a question about an ID4 sequel at a Creation convention. Devlin answered by telling the audience that neither he nor Roland Emmerich will ever make a sequel to ID4, saying they have other things they would rather do. [Anonymous.]
That would leave Twentieth Century Fox without their creators should the studio ever actively seek to develop a sequel to the 1996 film. It would also mean that the proposed story concept CA was told about last spring would also be dead since it was also Devlin and Emmerich's concept.