In Hollywood, it's very rare for 20 years to go by without a sequel to a hugely successful film being released. It took George Lucas and 20th Century Fox 16 years before they finally gave the world a new "Star Wars" film in 1999.
But this summer, we will finally find out what happened to the people of Earth after aliens tried to obliterate our planet in the 1996 film "Independence Day."
"Independence Day: Resurgence" is almost guaranteed to be a mega-blockbuster. In order to build anticipation for the film's June 24th release, 20th Century Fox put together a five-minute "mockumentary" entitled, "The War of 1996," which gives us a glimpse as to how the world has rebuilt in the wake of the devastating alien invasion. Additionally, it introduces viewers to some of the new technology that has been created over the preceding two decades, so that the planet is ready if the aliens ever decide to attack again. (And I'm guessing that they will, otherwise "Resurgence" is going to be a very dull movie.)
While Jeff Goldblum is featured in the trailer, there are two actors from the original film who are noticeably absent from the five-minute teaser.
The first is Will Smith, who played fighter pilot Steven Hiller. However, an actor portraying his stepson makes an appearance in the video and is expected to play a big role in the film.
The other no-show is Bill Pullman, who played President Thomas J. Whitmore in the original movie. Pullman is slated to be in the sequel, but the studio has been tight-lipped as to how big of a role he will play. He's obviously not the president anymore, assuming that the fictional America portrayed in the film has not repealed the 22nd Amendment.
Although when you're the president who presides over saving the world from anihilation at the hands of anlien invaders, I'm guessing a strong case could have been made for allowing Whitmore to serve a third term.