Why is Will Smith not in Independence Day: Resurgence? Explained

Independence Day: Resurgence, the second installment of the alien-invasion blockbuster, opened in movie theaters in June 2016. Most of the cast had reprised their roles, like Vivica A. Fox, Jeff Goldblum, and Bill Pullman. However, one familiar face was notably missing: Will Smith.

Smith's character as Captain Steven Hiller, who battles against aliens with the rest of the cast members didn't return in the silver screen. It got fans thinking about why the actor was missing from round two of the Independence Day universe, a franchise that catapulted the actor into Hollywood's A-list.

It turns out Will Smith is missing from Independence Day: Resurgence because of a scheduling conflict. Smith not being keen on doing sequels and his character being rendered unnecessary after some script changes are other reasons considered.

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Will Smith chose Suicide Squad over returning to Independence Day: Resurgence

For anyone wondering why Will Smith wasn't in the second Independence Day movie, the actor himself shared the reason in a 2016 interview with BBC Radio 1Xtra, a couple of months before the movie was slated to release in cinemas. He chalked it up to a scheduling conflict as the actor was busy with other projects at the time. He said:

"It was one of those things—I had a couple of films lined up. I had Concussion and Suicide Squad, and so it was a decision, timing-wise, between Independence Day and Suicide Squad."

He further stated about making the choice of which project to pursue:

"They were sending pictures from the set, and I was like, 'Ahh.' The world is in a place of nostalgia right now. Specifically in entertainment, there's such a pull of nostalgia, so it was just the perfect opportunity and it didn't work out."

Ultimately, Will Smith chose to do the action-fantasy film Suicide Squad with Margot Robbie, where he played the character of Deadshot, an expert marksman and assassin.

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Will Smith was worried about doing sequels and opted out

Dean Devlin, one of the directors of the OG film released in 1996, also shared his views about why fans and viewers weren't graced with Will Smith's character in the second movie. In an interview with Yahoo Entertainment, published on July 3, 2023, Devlin shared that they had originally planned two ID sequels and the Bad Boys star was in on it. He said:

"Before we sat and wrote one word, we met with Will Smith and discussed it. We said, 'Here's the idea we have for it,' and he said he loved it and was super-excited about it."

Devlin also shared that they approached 20th Century Fox with both scripts in hand, and that "they went crazy" about it. But when Devlin, along with his co-director Roland Emmerich, went to tell Smith the good news, the actor backed out. Talking about the actor's hesitance to reprise his role in the patriotic movie, Devlin said:

"All of a sudden, Will turned it down... He was generally worried about doing sequels. I don't know what was going on with him, but ultimately he wouldn't do it. It was a huge disappointment."

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Will Smith's character was written off the new script

Roland Emmerich, who went on to direct Independence Day: Resurgence, also has his own version of why Will Smith didn't make it to the second movie.

During a sit-down interview with HeyUGuys in June 2016 to promote the release of Independence Day: Resurgence, he mentioned that Will Smith's character as Captain Hiller was part of the original script with a "father-and-son storyline." However, he said that it didn't work out, so they decided to explore other avenues. He said:

"It was a father-son story, and when that didn't work, I kind of said, 'Well, let's explore other possibilities."

Emmerich further noted that he hired two young writers to join the team who suggested they develop the plot into a "handoff to a younger generation." With the script change, Will Smith's character was rendered unnecessary in Independence Day: Resurgence.

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Independence Day: Resurgence is available for rent and purchase options on Prime Video, Vudu, and Apple TV.