Roland Emmerich Claims Independence Day Sequel Will Be Two Movies

Roland Emmerich tells MTV that not only are they developing an Independence Day sequel, but he hopes to film it as two-back-to-back movies. Emmerich says that the reason for two movies is that he wants “to do a bigger [story] arc” which will “continue the story” and begin “twelve, thirteen, fourteen years” after the first one ended. Emmerich is even floating around a title for the new films: “ID4-Ever” followed by “Part I” and “Part II” Sounds crazy right?

Will Smith would likely return, and the story would again be set on planet Earth, presumably mostly rebuilt since the last time we saw it, when a new invasion again threatens the world. No other story details have been revealed, but I would assume that it wouldn’t be an Independence Day sequel if most of the original characters didn’t return. I wonder where Bill Pullman’s President Thomas J. Whitmore might be a decade and a half later. Is he still in office? Who knows, America might’ve changed the law to extend the President’s term of office. I’m sure a lot of things will be very different than the world we knew before. This would be an alien invasion movie set in a changed world, post 7-04.

I would love to believe that Emmerich is sane, but his movies have led me to believe otherwise. And when Emmerich starts making monstrous claims about the future of the Independence Day series, I must question if there is anything more than some ideas he impulsively came up with during an interview with MTV. Does he actually believe 20th Century Fox would fiance a series of back-to-back big budget disaster movie sequels in this economy (In Emmerich’s defense, we are talking about the same studio that funded Avatar)? I’m guessing that he’s just throwing the idea out there, and seeing if fans respond. He’s looking for a reaction. But who knows if Fox would be willing to fund one Independence Day sequel, nevermind two, if Emmerich’s latest disaster film 2012 doesn’t deliver at the box office.