Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.
Will Smith is not returning for the sequel to Independence Day, but his disappearance will have to be addressed because his character’s “son” is going to be a central part of the plot. According to The Hollywood Reporter, actor Jessie Usher has been cast in Independence Day 2 in that role, and presumably they mean he’ll be Dylan, the stepson of Smith’s character then played by Ross Bagley. Usher is nearly 20 years older than the kid was in the first movie (he just turned 23 in spite of his birthday, February 29th, not being an actual date this year), but it’s also possible Smith and Vivica A. Fox’s characters had a child of their own together later.
Anyway, whether they claim Captain Hiller took his own life because he couldn’t deal with everyone making fun of how he pronounced “Earth” or had a heart attack or whatever, that’s going to be a tough thing for fans to get over, for about a minute. After which they’ll focus on confirmed returning ID4 star Jeff Goldblum, potentially once again figuring out a silly networking loophole through which to defeat the nasty alien invaders. And they’ll possibly also enjoy unconfirmed returnee Bill Pullman, hopefully now serving as President for life – and we pray that now-grown Mae Whitman reprises her role as his daughter. There’s also confirmed new addition Liam Hemsworth in another lead part.
Back to the casting of Usher, I can’t say I’m familiar with his onscreen work in anything, but I do have a lot of respect for the guy for being one of the voices in the documentary Teenage, representing American youth alongside Jena Malone. He can be seen, however, in the current Starz basketball series Survivor’s Remorse and last year’s football movie When the Game Stands Tall. Just don’t bother watching him in InAPPropriate Comedy, please.
Independence Day 2 will be directed by Roland Emmerich and is set to arrive in theaters on June 24, 2016, just in time for its name-source holiday.
