INDEPENDENCE DAY 2 Gets Greenlight For Spring Production Start

Not a lot gets done in Hollywood this week, with execs and talent heading out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday. But right before they set out of their offices for the long weekend, the brass at Twentieth Century Fox gave the go ahead for the long in development Independence Day 2 to go into production in the spring.

Director Roland Emmerich will be returning, though Deadline is reporting that his deal has not been finalized with the studio. However, as we learned earlier in the year, the original film’s star Will Smith will definitely not be returning for the sequel. Once Emmerich’s deal is signed casting on the film will begin.

Although at one point Emmerich’s plan was to shoot a Part 2 and Part 3 back-to-back, but the studio has only given the go ahead for one film. It is unclear as to whether the storyline that will be shot this spring is the same from Emmerich’s original plans or if it has mutated into a more self-contained shape.

The film is scheduled for a release on the July 4th weekend of 2016, marking the original’s twentieth anniversary.