To say that Will Smith has starred in a few action movies would be the understatement of the century. Smith has starred in mega hits like the Men in Black series, Bad Boys, and I, Robot, as well as some under-performers like I Am Legend, Hancock, After Earth, and David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. But one of Smith’s biggest and best action films, Independence Day, is heading to streaming next month to get a head start on the titular holiday.
Independence Day will invade Hulu
on June 1. Released in 1996, the movie was directed by a modern legend of the disaster genre, Roland Emmerich, who co-wrote the script with Dean Devlin. Alongside Smith, Independence Day had a great cast, which also included Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsch, Randy Quaid, and Robert Loggia. Independence Day was a massive hit when it was released in 1996, grossing a total of $817.4 million worldwide on a budget of $75 million.
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For the ten people who haven’t seen the movie, Independence Day follows the world’s resistance efforts to fight off an invading alien species. Will Smith starred as Captain Steven Hiller, a fighter pilot enlisted by scientist David Levinson (Goldblum) and the US government on a mission to defeat the technologically advanced aliens. Independence Day is a ’90s action classic and helped to define the popcorn blockbuster genre. The action is impressive, blending some CGI with incredible prosthetics, costumes, and miniature work, the characters’ journeys are surprisingly emotional, and the movie helped to start the running joke that aliens only care about the US, as Independence Day features the most iconic shot of The White House being destroyed in cinema history.
Why Will Smith Turned Down ‘Independence Day: Resurgence
As with every successful blockbuster from before the turn of the millennium, Hollywood has already tried transforming Independence Day into a cash cow franchise. In 2016, 20th Century Studios released Independence Day: Resurgence. Emmerich returned to direct the film and Jeff Goldblum reprised his role as David Levinson. But there was one notable absence. Will Smith didn’t return as Steven Hiller. Instead, The Boys star, Jessie T. Usher, played his son, Dylan Hiller.
In the build-up to the film’s release, Emmerich addressed Will Smith’s absence. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star reportedly wanted too much to return for the sequel. “Will Smith can not come back because he’s too expensive,” Emmerich explained to Deadline. But, Emmerich also said that Smith’s star power would detract from the film’s plot and new characters. “But he’d also be too much of a marquee name. It would be too much.”
Steven Hiller’s death didn’t even happen off-screen. In the film, it is explained that Smith’s character died during an experimental aircraft test, which took place in the spin-off novel, Independence Day: Crucible (written by Greg Keyes). It’s a good thing Will Smith didn’t return, as Independence Day: Resurgence was panned by audiences and critics when it was released in 2016. The film holds an abysmal 29% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Source: Deadline
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
