Vivica A. Fox Reveals The “One True Link” That Independence Day 2 Lacked

In a candid chat with The A.V. Club, Vivica A. Fox admitted that she had a bad feeling about Independence Day: Resurgence, the 2016 sequel to the smash hit Independence Day. 

She said that the film lacked “the one true link” that made the original so successful: Will Smith. Smith played Captain Steven Hiller, a charismatic fighter pilot, in the 1996 sci-fi classic but did not return for the sequel, which saw Earth facing another alien invasion. Fox reprised her role as Jasmine Dubrow, Hiller’s wife, along with other returning cast members such as Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, and Brent Spiner.

The sequel, directed by Roland Emmerich, was a major disappointment at the box office and received negative reviews from critics and fans. Fox revealed that she knew the film would have a hard time without Smith, who was “the glue” that held the original together. 

She said that she was grateful to be part of the franchise but wished that Smith could have been involved in some way. Here’s what Fox had to say about Independence Day: Resurgence:

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. I’m going to keep it real — I was at the premiere and I was like ‘Mmm, let’s see how the fans are going to feel about this.’ And sure enough on Twitter, they blew me up.

Will Smith was a key figure in the original Independence Day movie, where he portrayed Hiller, a U.S. Marine Corps pilot who battled alien invaders. 

However, he opted out of the sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence, which shifted its focus to new characters, including his stepson Dylan (Jessie T. Usher). Hiller’s fate was revealed to be a fatal accident during a test flight for Earth Space Defense, but his legacy remained, as his portrait was displayed in the White House.

Smith’s absence can be attributed to his involvement in Suicide Squad, which came out in 2016 and was a bigger hit at the box office but received poor reviews from critics. 

One might wonder how Smith’s presence could have affected the Independence Day sequel, both in terms of its earnings and its quality. Director Emmerich admitted that he had to rewrite the Independence Day: Resurgence script after Smith left. So, it’s a no-brainer that Smith’s presence could have boosted the movie’s chances of success.

Smith’s role in Independence Day was so crucial that fans missed him dearly in the sequel. His presence might have boosted the box-office appeal of the movie. 

Independence Day: Resurgence could have been a different story with him on board, and Fox echoes the sentiments of many viewers who think the film fell short of its potential.

About Independence Day: Resurgence

Independence Day: Resurgence is a 2016 American science fiction action film co-written and directed by Roland Emmerich, serving as a sequel to the 1996 film Independence Day.

It stars an ensemble cast that consists of Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Maika Monroe, Travis Tope, William Fichtner, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Judd Hirsch. The film takes place twenty years after the events of the first film, during which the United Nations collaborated to form the Earth Space Defense, an international military defense and research organization.

Independence Day: Resurgence was released by 20th Century Fox in the United States on June 24, 2016, twenty years after the release of Independence Day, in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D, receiving negative reviews and being considered a box office disappointment by analysts, having grossed $389.7 million worldwide at the box office against its $165 million budget.