Will Smith apparently turned down entanglements with not one, but two Independence Day sequels. Writer-producer Dean Devlin told Yahoo Entertainment that there were initially plans to make two follow-ups (respectively titled ID Forever Part I and ID Forever Part II) with Smith’s character, Steve Hiller. Reportedly, Hiller’s arc across the two movies was supposed to mirror Rocky Balboa’s in Rocky III. “He’d gotten rich, he’d gotten famous, and he had to get the eye of the tiger back, you know?†Devlin explained. Aliens seized the opportunity to retaliate against Earth, requiring a training montage that Devlin described as a “chance to bring the old Will Smith out of retirement.â€
Though Devlin said this goal “kind of got diluted†without Smith, the initial plan for the Independence Day franchise was for audiences to understand and get to know the aliens that were treated like a “force of nature†in the first movie. Devlin and director Roland Emmerich went to 20th Century Fox with scripts for two movies in this vein, and the studio was enthusiastic. According to Devlin, however, Smith suddenly decided to turn the offer down. There were reports at the time that pay might have been a factor, but Devlin theorized that Smith’s decision might have been influenced by M. Night Shyamalan’s sci-fi flop After Earth. “He was generally worried about doing sequels,†Devlin said. “I don’t know what was going on with him, but ultimately he wouldn’t do it. It was a huge disappointment.†Co-star Vivica A. Fox previously echoed the sentiment, telling The A.V. Club that she thought Smith’s absence was “the one true link that was missing to the success of†what ended up being 2016’s Independence Day: Resurgence. Unfortunately, even if Smith later decides he’s open to returning to the franchise, Hiller’s path has now hit a literal dead end.