Independence Day 2

The Razzies are a tough award show to love. Oh, I’m sure plenty of people probably read the headline to this article and  —  depending on their opinion of both Dinesh D’Souza and the DC Cinematic Universe  —  found great comfort in the public mockery of Hillary’s America and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. But while awards shows in general might serve the noble purpose of raising awareness about powerful films, the annual Razzies Awards often feel like you’re kicking someone when they’re already down. They’ve already flopped with audiences and critics; throwing a Razzie award at them is the Hollywood equivalent of kicking them when they’re down.

I’ll admit, I was one of those people mildly excited for Independence Day: Resurgence. Not only did the film return both Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman  —  as well as the up-and-coming Maika Monroe  —  it was also a welcome trip down memory lane to the original Independence Day, one of the first really big blockbuster movies I remember seeing in theaters. I know I’m not the only one whose interest in the film was pure nostalgia; as it turns out, this link to the past is exactly why Will Smith chose not to come back for a second film.

We always knew they were coming back. After all, what epic, era-defining blockbuster doesn’t get a sequel in this day and age? None. And Independence Day truly was one of the biggest movies of the 1990s, both in terms of grosses (it was the top earner of 1996, both home and abroad) and scope, with mile-wide UFOs descending on our planet, wiping out our most treasured landmarks, and trying to eradicate our species. A few brave heroes fought back and saved our world from extinction and now, 20 years later, most of them return to fight a new alien menace in Independence Day: Resurgence (except for Will Smith, he was busy). A cast of familiar faces (Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman) and newcomers (Liam

Like so many Hollywood blockbusters these days, Independence Day: Resurgence ends with a beginning. Before the dust has settled on the final conflict, the next conflict is already set in motion. Rather than tying a bow around the previous two hours of planet-leveling carnage, Resurgence immediately begins teasing another sequel.

The original Independence Day wasn’t exactly subtle. It trashed the White House, the Empire State Building, and the Capitol Records building. It laid waste to huge swaths of the planet, all for the amusement of summer moviegoers. So how do you top that?

Independence Day helped define the modern summer blockbuster and earned Will Smith the nickname Mr. July (for a while, anyway). It’s easy to forget that there was a time when summer movies weren’t always superhero flicks and action movies and disasterpieces. And now the man who gave us Independence Day is back again with Independence Day 2, the long-awaited, long-developing sequel which will finally arrive in theaters next summer. We know who’s in it, but what is it about, exactly?

Yesterday, it was announced that It Follows star Maika Monroe will be taking the role of President Whitmore’s daughter in Independence Day 2, a role originated in the first film by a young Mae Whitman. Whitman has grown up to become a successful star in her own right, recently proving herself as a leading lady with recent teen comedy The Duff. So why wasn’t she cast in Independence Day 2? There’s one answer many male journalists are contenting (or discontenting) themselves with, and it kind of stinks.

The cast of next year’s blockbuster sequel Independence Day 2 continues to grow. Director Roland Emmerich made two more big announcements today on his Twitter account:

The last time we saw Brent Spiner’s Dr. Brackish Okun, his body was being forcibly used as a psychic transmitter to convey the malicious intentions of the invading aliens in Roland Emmerich’s bombastic, semi-masterpiece Independence Day. And then his weak, human husk was thrown across the room and he died. But now, some new Independence Day 2 casting supposes that ... maybe he didn’t?

When Bill Pullman dumped that big “We will not go quietly into the night!” speech at the end of Independence Day, he really wasn’t kidding. Even though Will Smith will not return, Independence Day 2 is still moving forward, like an enormous alien spaceship slowly approaching the Golden Gate Bridge. Late last night, Roland Emmerich tweeted the latest original Independence Day cast member to join the film: