It’s a good time to be a Godzilla fan. The massive monster was just in a huge hit movie from Japan, and the Western interpretation of the character, while perhaps not hitting quite the same heights, is still going strong through Legendary’s MonsterVerse. This wasn’t always the case however, as Hollywood’s previous attempt at a Godzilla movie was a famous failure, though Godzilla Minus One’s director prefers to focus on what the movie did well.

Speaking with MovieMaker, director Takashi Yamazaki, who has made arguably the best Godzilla movie ever, was asked his thoughts on the West’s attempt to make Godzilla movies. One might expect him to bash 1998’s Godzilla directed by Roland Emmerich. Few fans of the franchise think the movie is very good. Interestingly however, Yamazaki, while he says he understands the criticism, he also calls it a “fun film” and he credits the filmmakers for being the first to render Godzilla digitally. The director said…

We’re so used to hearing people badmouth the 1998 Godzilla that it almost feels strange for somebody to say something good about it. To be sure, nobody is celebrating the plot and the characters here, but Takashi Yamazaki thinks the movie is fun, and works as a kaiju horror movie. And certainly, from a technical standpoint, the movie did make a digital kaiju look impressive.

Still, even Takashi Yamazaki, who sees some positives in the movie, understands why people have trouble with Godzilla. The title character alone was given a significant overhaul to the point that there was essentially no resemblance between it and the classic Godzilla. Beyond that, the kaiju acted very differently than the classic Godzilla, which was the real reason fans have largely disowned the film. 

Godzilla struggled domestically when it came out but earned enough overseas that the film is considered a success. However, it never spawned the franchise that was almost certainly the plan. The movie was a critical flop and while not everybody hates Roland Emmerich's Godzilla, it is consistently ranked among the worst Godzilla movies ever made. We wouldn’t see another theatrical Godzilla movie created by Hollywood until 2014’s Godzilla, which kicked off the MonsterVerse. 

We do have an upcoming MonsterVerse movie in this year’s Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire movie. While it seems unlikely it will end up as good as Godzilla Minus One, it likewise probably won’t be the worst. 

There is a lot that can be said about Moonfall, Roland Emmerich’s latest disaster movie, but despite having some flaws and not really reinventing the wheel, the movie was a lot of fun. This is especially true for those who love the genre, its trappings, and those amazing tropes that seem to be in every movie of this variety. 

When I saw Moonfall opening weekend (it appears I was one of the few people to do this), I couldn’t help but pick up on some of those classic disaster movie tropes that are liberally sprinkled throughout the movie about a group of astronauts (and a conspiracy theorist) trying to stop an evil force from hurdling the moon into the surface of Earth. 

Spoiler alert! And since we’re about to dive into some of the biggest moments in Moonfall, expect to find spoilers galore throughout this piece.

A Once Decorated Hero Falls From Grace

Moonfall kicks off with one of the best disaster movie tropes that is also one that does a great job of starting astronaut Brian Harper’s (Patrick Wilson) hero’s journey. In the opening minutes of the movie, Brian is on a routine mission with Jocinda “Jo” Fowler (Halle Berry) when a disturbance (aka the AI hellbent on destroying all life) destroys their shuttle and kills a member of their crew. Despite flying the ship back to Earth with no electronics, no one believes Brian’s story and he is kicked out of NASA, loses his family, and ends up being viewed as a disgrace. But it can only get better from there, right?

The Heroes Narrowly Escape A Catastrophic Event

Later on in the movie, Roland Emmerich pulls a scene out of his old bag of tricks with the epic escape scene where Brian Harper, Jo Fowler, and K.C. Houseman (John Bradley) get the Endeavor space shuttle off the ground just moments before a tsunami swallows them (all with only two working thrusters). This is like the White House destruction scene from Independence Day turned up a few notches. I mean there’s even a helicopter crashing into the massive wave at one point. But hey, it looked really, really cool and made for a lot of tension (especially for the guy sitting next to me at the theater).

The Military Tries To Nuke The Problem Away

There must be some unwritten rule in disaster movie-making that requires the military to be portrayed as a group of war hawks who don’t want to listen to reason and try to nuke their problems away. I kind of get in the sense that they’ve had access to thousands of nuclear bombs all these years and since they’re going to die they should explode some stuff first. This has popped up in Mars Attacks, Independence Day, and hell, even Dr. Strangelove. But the military’s plan in Moonfall is to nuke the moon, which would be in Earth’s atmosphere by the time the bombs reached it, meaning we would all die one way or another.

The Doomsday Countdown

One way of speeding up the plot of a movie is to insert a ticking clock or doomsday countdown of some sort that gives the heroes no time to waste. Not only do we get that in Moonfall, the clock keeps on speeding up because of the moon drawing closer and closer to the planet. At one point, the moon has such an impact on time (because it’s being pulled closer and closer), the heroes find out they have only 28 minutes to launch a space shuttle with no crew to back them up. Talk about a ticking clock…

They Literally Save The Cat

I took a screenwriting course in college and one of the textbooks was Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need. I mention this because at one point, K.C. Houseman leaves his cat with his grandmother who is then later saved (along with the cat) from a flooding nursing home just before K.C. flies off into space. The whole “Save the Cat” angle is a device used to make the hero seem more likable, but here it works for another reason as well. Disaster movies like Armageddon, Independence Day, and The Day After Tomorrow all have scenes where an animal is saved, and now we can add Moonfall to that list.

People With Crazy Ideas Actually Being Right

Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid) in The Day After Tomorrow, David Levinson in Independence Day, and Charlie Frost (Woody Harrelson) in 2012 all had crazy ideas, or at least ideas that seemed crazy to the establishment, and were all proven right by the end of their respective movies. Add K.C. Houseman to that list in Moonfall because his conspiratorial rants about the moon being a megastructure were on the money by the time everything was said and done.

Cars Somehow Drive On The Ground As It Breaks Apart

A disaster movie just isn’t the same without an over-the-top driving sequence featuring cars driving off and on roads, houses, and mountains crumbling beneath their tires. And luckily for everyone, Moonfall does that. Even though it doesn’t have anything like the truly sensational destruction of Los Angeles scene in 2012, Roland Emmerich does give audiences some good not-so-clean fun near the end of the movie when Sonny Harper (Charlie Plummer) and other members of the Moonfall cast drive over the Rocky Mountains as they break into pieces. These pieces, however, are large enough for Sonny to drive over with relative ease.

An Act Of Heroic Sacrifice

And what would a disaster movie be without some self-sacrifice? Well, Moonfall doesn’t only feature one example of this, it has two (and one is straight up like the Armageddon switcheroo). When attempting to reach shelter with his family as oxygen levels begin to drop because of the moon, Tom Lopez (Michael Peña), Brian Harper’s ex’s new husband, realizes his daughter’s tank is running low and trades with her. Tom was pretty much out to be a bit of a jerk throughout the movie, so his death really kills two birds with one stone.

But that whole scene is nothing compared to the big moment at the end of the movie where K.C. Houseman does his best Bruce Willis impression from Armageddon and sacrifices himself before Brian Harper can lure the swarm of rogue AI and blow them up with an EMP. But as we find out in the Moonfall ending, K.C. somehow becomes digitized during the blast and lives on in a computer program.

Overall, it’s the disaster movie tropes that bring so much of the fun in Moonfall and make the surprisingly fun action thriller all the more enjoyable. Who knows if we’ll get a sequel (fingers crossed), but there are plenty of promising 2022 movies to hold us over while we wait.

This past weekend co-writer/director Roland Emmerich’s Moonfall debuted at the box office. And depending on who you talk to, it couldn’t have happened at a better time. Playing out like a greatest hits collection from this master of disaster, it’s hard not to get what you’d expect out of this lunar adventure, which clocked in with a second place opening weekend. That’s not an insult in any sense though, as cast members Patrick Wilson and John Bradley agree that throwbacks such as this are still very important at the movies, thanks to that very specific set of thrills. 

Even Mr. Emmerich himself claims that his latest exercise in destruction is a cross between two of his previous films, which is one of the many facts we knew before going into Moonfall. Much like its direct competitor Jackass Forever, this movie was made with very specific audience members in mind, planning its thrills with a steady hand at work. Patrick Wilson discussed that very subject with me, as he was one of the cast members I was able to speak with during the film’s press day. Reflecting on the fun of making a Roland Emmerich movie, Wilson told CinemaBlend that the experience inspired him to think ahead to the fun it would inspire in theaters, even during uncertain times: 

Escapism has definitely ruled the box office, as seen most recently through Spider-Man: No Way Home’s previous domination of the theatrical landscape. This weekend saw two of this year’s new kids taking the top spots by storm, and Moonfall still brought out the fanbase of apocalypse enthusiasts to theaters all over. Acting as one of this year’s first over the top tentpoles, the Halle Berry led ensemble cast has planted a flag for sci-fi thrills and continued blockbuster entertainment. 

Of course, adventures that tear our planet a new one have always been a constant source of joy when heading to the movies. Long before Roland Emmerich was summoning alien invaders, climate change, and prophecies of gloom and doom to knock the Earth down a peg, plenty of genre movies laid the path that he would become so enamored with as a young man. Most notably, Irwin Allen spectacles like The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno would pit all-star casts against life or death scenarios with a high amount of property damage. 

Watching that sort of destruction play out on a screen is practically built into the cinematic experience. It’s also a good way for audiences to be presented stories of people from all walks facing almost certain doom. That might be the most valuable piece of the Moonfall puzzle, or at least it’s what John Bradley seems to think, as he laid out why he feels this sort of excitement is still important to be enjoyed: 

Just as Irwin Allen’s works have clearly inspired Roland Emmerich, the Independence Day director has his fair share of imitators as well. Most recently, STX Films saw themselves score a hit of similar intent, thanks to the performance of the Gerard Butler disaster epic Greenland. Proving the market for boom and doom is still pretty lucrative, that film is already in the midst of bringing its rapidly developing sequel Migration to the masses. If the weeks to come are kind, maybe we’ll get to see more action on the horizon, especially since the Moonfall ending contains a pretty massive sequel hook.

You can't be in a bad mood when chunks of the Moon are raining down, taking out major landmarks at a steady clip. Provided, of course, you're safely on the side of the screen that doesn't involve fire and gravity waves. When the credits role, and the lights come up, the comfort of knowing you can still grab a coffee in stable gravity can do quite a bit for the soul if you let it.

If you’re ready to see Moonfall ruin the day of planet Earth, you can head to a theater near you to see the fun in conventional and premium format experiences. After the Moon has fallen, you can check out another one of the upcoming movies that are on the way to entice moviegoers back to their local multiplexes. And don’t forget to listen to the most recent episode of ReelBlend, where Roland Emmerich himself dished about Moonfall and beyond with our hosts. 

Nobody quite makes a modern disaster movie like Roland Emmerich, and the man is back once again in 2022 with Moonfall. The title ultimately says it all, the film is about the moon potentially falling and crashing into the earth, basically destroying all life on earth. So the stakes are pretty high. And since it's Roland Emmerich, you know the Moonfall ending is going to be a spectacle. 

I know what you’re thinking. The ending of Moonfall could not possibly be that complicated. Either the moon does, in fact, fall, or humanity triumphs and prevents the moon from falling. And yes, one of those two things does happen, but if you think that’s all that Moonfall has going on, forget it. It may only be February but Moonfall is likely one of the strangest 2022 movies you will see. Most critics seem to agree on that, and I promise you, going into it, you have no idea how this ends. 

Spoilers ahead! We're about to take a look at what happens at the end of Moonfall, so if you haven't seen the movie yet, consider yourself warned... 

How Moonfall Ends Is Completely Insane 

In Moonfall humanity discovers that the moon is falling out of orbit, and when they send some astronauts up to investigate what’s going on, they discover a strange, technological… thing is up inside the moon causing all this havoc. After every other contingency has failed, we end up with a crew of three left to try and save the world, disgraced astronaut Brian Harper (Patrick Wilson), head of NASA and former shuttle navigator Jocinda Fowl (Halle Berry) and science enthusiast and “conspiracy nut who turned out to be right” KC Houseman (John Bradley). 

The plan is to go up and set off an EMP device and fry the alien thing, but the plan doesn’t work. Instead, the team of three end up entering the moon and discovers that the moon is actually not a planetary body at all, but is actually an artificial structure. The monstrous thing is trying to destroy the moon, and attempts to kill our heroes as well, but they get saved by the alien tech inside the moon.

When Brian Harper interfaces with the technology inside the moon he learns that it was constructed by humans billions of years ago. They were far more technologically advanced and constructed an artificial intelligence that has become self aware and is trying to destroy all of humanity to punish it for the enslavement it feels it was forced to endure.

The moon’s semi intelligent operating system downloads a bunch of information into Brian’s brain, so that he’ll know how to defeat the AI threat. However, when his fellow astronauts learn he plans to sacrifice himself to do it, Jocinda balks. As the two of them argue over whether or not Brian will sacrifice himself, Houseman jumps into the space capsule in order to do the deed. He believes Brian needs to live because of all the information now in Brian’s head about the precursor human civilization.

Houseman is successful in destroying the AI, which allows the moon to return to its normal orbit. The earth is more than a little worse for wear, having endured a great deal of destruction, but is still ultimately in one piece. In the final moments we see that Houseman’s consciousness has been made part of the moon’s operating system, so he’s still alive, after a fashion. And now it’s time to… go to work?

And The Moon Is Different Now? 

The last time we see the actual moon in Moonfall it looks… different. That’s perhaps not that surprising. Large chunks of the moon were pulled from it due to the gravitational pull of earth as the moon came closer and those pieces didn’t just return when the moon went home.

It appears that the entire outer shell of the moon, the part that we think of when we think of the moon, is gone now. What’s left is the mechanical portion that was previously hidden underneath the rock. The moon now looks less like a planetary body and more like the Death Star.

But what does this mean for earth? As Moonfall quite rightly establishes, everything from tidal forces to gravity itself are in part dependent on the moon. But the moon is now a different size and shape. It would seem that its mass is not the same that it once was. Technically, this should mean that life on earth has permanently changed, as any natural force that the moon influences will now act differently on the planet. 

Could We Get a Moonfall Sequel?

The final moments of Moonfall at least hint at the possibility of a sequel. Digital Houseman is speaking to the operating system of the moon, which has taken the visual form of his mother and she/it says that it is time for them to begin working on something. Houseman asks what is meant by that, but the movie cuts to credits before we get any sort of an answer.

It’s a simple enough tease. The sort of setup that at least leaves the door open to a potential sequel without leaving the movie on such a cliffhanger that it feels like such a thing is needed. If Moonfall does well with fans and the box office, perhaps we could see a follow up film. Although, in this case it will hopefully turn out better, and be released sooner, than Roland Emmerich’s last sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence which most didn’t feel was worth the wait.

And a sequel could go into literally any direction. Patrick Wilson’s character apparently has a brain full of knowledge about what humanity was in the distant past, any sort of story could be built by creating some details about that past civilization. It’s implied that early humans were entirely wiped out by the AI creature, but perhaps not. Or maybe there will be some other piece of ancient knowledge that turns out to be important.

The question is what sort of global destructive threat will end up being part of a sequel. There has to be something, but the moon has already fallen, or nearly fallen and so you can’t do that again. How exactly will Moonfall ever top “the moon is actually an alien artifact created by technologically advanced humans and also it has an intelligence of its own because it’s basically a big computer powered by a star?” 

If we do see a sequel hopefully the impressive Moonfall cast will return for whatever new adventure is in store. 

Although a sequel to 1996’s Independence Day (which is available to watch on HBO Max) had been talked about as early as 2001, it wasn’t until 2016 that such a project finally arrived in theaters. However, Independence Day: Resurgence was nowhere near as well received as its predecessor, with its plot being one of the many criticized elements. Well, according to director Roland Emmerich, it turns out the story we got in Resurgence came out of necessity from Will Smith exiting the sequel.

Will Smith spent the first half of the 1990s being best known on screen for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but it was Independence Day, along with Bad Boys and Men in Black, that established him as a movie star in the latter half of the decade. Originally Will Smith was supposed to reprise Steven Hiller in Independence Day: Resurgence, but he ended up dropping out at the last minute, which naturally caused a lot of problems. As Roland Emmerich recalled to The Wrap:

Considering that Will Smith’s Captain Steven Hiller was one of the main protagonists in Independence Day, along with Jeff Goldblum’s David Levinson and Bill Pullman’s Thomas J. Whitmore, it’s a no-brainer why Roland Emmerich and the other creative minds behind Independence Day: Resurgence wanted him back. Ultimately though, Will Smith ended up being more impressed with the script for Suicide Squad, so he decided to play Deadshot in that DC movie instead and bailed on Resurgence. That placed Roland Emmerich in the difficult position of having to reimagine the entire movie in the midst of preproduction.

With just a few weeks to go until Independence Day: Resurgence began principal photography, and too much money having been spent to just scrap the sequel (though in hindsight, he’s acknowledged that this is what he should have done), Roland Emmerich recruited some people to help him rewrite the script. The filmmaker continued:

Perhaps there’s a reality in the multiverse where Will Smith decided to stick with Independence Day: Resurgence instead of picking Suicide Squad, so Steven Hiller could take part in battling the new invading force of Harvesters. Alas, that’s not the reality we live in. Instead, the version of Resurgence Roland Emmerich and his writing partners came up with in just a few weeks revealed that Hiller died in 2007 while test flying an experimental alien hybrid flyer. But Resurgence still featured a Hiller in the form of Steven’s stepson Dylan, a captain in Earth Space Defense played by Jessie Usher.

In the end, Independence Day: Resurgence made almost $390 million worldwide off a reported $165 million budget, but it was met with primarily negative critical reception (it has 30% for both its Tomatometer and Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes). Despite Resurgence’s ending teasing a sequel, Independence Day 3, which would have depicted an intergalactic journey, never got greenlit. That being said, in early 2020, Emmerich expressed hope that the threequel could still happen.

Roland Emmerich fans can catch his latest movie, Moonfall, in theaters this weekend, and keep on the lookout for how the PG-13 flick managed to sneak in a second f-bomb. Those of you wondering what cinematic entertainment is coming out later in the year should scan through our lineup of 2022 movie releases.

One of the most infamous rules set by the MPAA when it comes to swearing in movies is that if you’re going to drop the f-bomb, you only get to do it once if you want to keep a PG-13 rating. This leads to a whole bunch of filmmakers getting creative, both with how they use that one instance and how they skirt around any other moments where that word could crop up. However, Roland Emmerich was crafty with how he snuck a second f-bomb into his Halle Berry-led disaster epic Moonfall, while also keeping that blockbuster-friendly rating.

As I was on hand for the press day promoting Lionsgate’s Moonfall, it was too tempting not to ask about the subject of a very profane space shuttle that was featured. Normally, the audience probably wouldn’t think anything of this. However, the gag arrives well into a movie that’s seemed to have already used its f-bomb privilege, thanks to John Bradley’s Dr. K.C. Houseman dropping it within the first act. That apparently wasn’t a problem, as Roland Emmerich told CinemaBlend how he was surprised by the lack of obstacles with including that moment: 

Right there, Mr. Emmerich seems to have the same thought process as most of the audience, right down to having an alternative graphic ready to go. When former astronauts Halle Berry and Patrick Wilson need a ship in a hurry to investigate what’s on the moon, the former shuttle Endeavour is the quick fix solution that’s needed for a tight turnaround. This leads to the scene where that museum piece is found defaced with tons of graffiti, most notably including the message “Fuck The Moon.” If the MPAA had pushed back as anticipated, here’s the TV-edit friendly replacement you would have seen, which eventually found a home among the trailers marketing the film: 

What makes this Moonfall story even funnier is that Roland Emmerich has run into this issue before, with censorship winning out in a big way. In his sci-fi classic Independence Day, there’s an infamous redubbing of Harvey Fierstein’s character saying, “Eh, forget my lawyer,” when talking to Jeff Goldblum in a serious moment of panic. Anyone who can read lips, or a handy ID4 trivia guide, can see the original edit was supposed to play as, “Eh, fuck my lawyer,” meaning that if memory serves correctly, not even one f-bomb was allowed in that blockbuster crowd-pleaser.

It wouldn’t have killed the vibe of the fast-paced Moonfall to have to have zapped that expletive scrawled along the space shuttle. It almost certainly wouldn’t have changed the critical response to the film either, as the end result is exactly what you’d expect from a Roland Emmerich film. So what does keeping one f-bomb really matter when it comes to a situation such as this?

Seeing as the reference was allowed to stay, the bold message allows itself to remain a symbol of humanity’s defiance. Earth is literally allowed to give a flying fuck about its future, and does so in order to stop whatever it is that’s using the Moon to try and kill humanity.  There’s even an exchange between Halle Berry and Patrick Wilson, where they ponder why they didn’t scrub the words off of the shuttle before the mission. Wilson’s character answers that the message kind of grew on him; that’s probably what the studio is counting on with fans of the film, as it's already given out swag with a slightly altered text: 

Could “Fuck The Moon” be Moonfall’s “Whoop ET’s Ass” moment? This weekend will be the test, as Roland Emmerich’s latest disasterpiece will debut exclusively in theaters, including premium formats like IMAX. It’s one of many upcoming movies looking to usher audiences back to larger than life spectacle, so if that’s your thing, it’s time to plan your movie watching calendar accordingly!

Roland Emmerich is back with a disaster film that hopes to knock viewers off their axis, as Moonfall pits all of humanity against the Earth’s moon. Halle Barry stars in the new Lionsgate film, which sees her working in collaboration with a pair of other heroes (Patrick Wilson, John Bradley) to try to stop the moon from colliding with Earth. Critics have seen the movie, which hits theaters February 4, and the reviews are in.

The trailer for Moonfall makes it look like destruction-heavy mayhem, and if we have to trust anyone with the fate of the Earth, I’ll take troll-slapping, no-pants-wearing, Academy Award-winning Halle Berry, who stars as NASA executive and former astronaut Jocinda Fowler in a cast that also includes Kelly Reilly, Charlie Plummer, Michael Peña, and Donald Sutherland. 

So what are critics saying about Roland Emmerich’s newest blockbuster? Mike Reyes reviewed Moonfall for CinemaBlend and gives it 3 out of 5 stars. He says the movie quickly gets into the disaster of it all, rushing through some of the typical first-act character development. 

Justin Chang of the L.A. Times says the movie is familiarly sadistic, with all of the disaster movie tropes we’ve come to expect from Roland Emmerich’s past projects like 2012 and The Day After Tomorrow. Rather than trying to make any political statement, it embraces its cheesiness. He writes:

While other critics seem to take Moonfall for what should be expected from its director, Joshua Rivera of Polygon argues the premise is misleading to anyone hoping for the same ecological destruction of Earth story Roland Emmerich is known for. He says skip this movie, writing in his review,

David Ehrlich of IndieWire agrees Moonfall is one worth skipping, giving the blockbuster a D. He says even knowing what you’re going into with a disaster film of its kind, the movie lacks believable characters and self-awareness:

William Bibbiani of The Wrap, however, says complaining about the absurdity of a Roland Emmerich movie “is like complaining that your hot dog is cylindrical.” You knew what you were getting into. He gives the disaster film 4 stars, writing in his review,

I think it’s fair to say the critics are split over Moonfall. For the most part, fans of Roland Emmerich are likely to be pleased — or at least entertained — by the brand of blockbuster they’ve come to expect. If you’d like to give it a shot, Moonfall hits theaters on Friday, February 4. Be sure to check out our 2022 Movie Release Schedule to see what else is coming soon.

Filmmaker Roland Emmerich has established himself as a player in two major genres of film: historical epics and larger than life apocalyptic disasters. Honing his craft since his meteoric Hollywood rise with Stargate and Independence Day, you can tell that the man enjoys putting likable characters into end-of-the-world scenarios. His confidence in this half of his filmography is absolutely on display in his latest, Moonfall, with Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson, and John Bradley playing the trio of heroes who try to save the world. The bravado with which Emmerich attacks this project is admirable, which both helps and hurts this would-be blockbuster. 

The setup for the story is absolutely Emmerichian in scope and execution, as we’re once again dealing with life from among the stars, and a ticking clock standing between extinction and salvation. This time around the catalyst for all the destruction that lies ahead is an ill-fated space mission that almost kills astronauts Jocinda Fowler (Halle Berry) and Brian Harper (Patrick Wilson) a decade prior to the main events of the narrative.

As part of a longer, more massive cover up to the true nature of what we call the Moon, those events will bring these estranged friends back together, alongside a conspiracy theorist (John Bradley) who thinks he has some insight into the situation. 

Firmly in command of his sense of a world ending epic, Roland Emmerich replays most of his greatest hits in Moonfall.

As laid out above, it feels like all that’s missing from Moonfall is a couple of cigars, a handful of catchphrases, and an inspirational speech to rally the troops to be totally familiar. That last component is definitely present, thanks to a moment given to Halle Berry’s authority figure character, though it plays out a bit differently this time around. Independence Day isn’t the only Roland Emmerich movie that gets some love either, as a bunch of the co-writer/director’s hallmarks are thrown in, making this movie a sort of greatest hits collection. Family bonds are tested, nuclear arms are considered, and landmarks are taken out with reckless abandon. 

Such a strategy feels like a sort of shorthand to help the audience climb on board with Moonfall’s premise and characters at an accelerated pace. What’s strange is that seeing as this movie clocks in at a little over two hours, it’s roughly in line with the running times of other Emmerich disaster movies. Yet somehow it still feels like the story, co-written by Harold Kloser and Spenser Cohen, is moving at a much brisker pace than normal. 

This works to the film’s favor in the first act, as the setup isn’t nearly as fun as the payoff that awaits later on. But by fast forwarding that setup, the really huge swings that are taken in third act reveals aren’t as well built into the overall structure. Moonfall leaves audiences wanting more, even if they aren’t entirely sure what it is they crave more of by time the intriguing sequel tease has kicked in.

Mileage will definitely vary with audience members who see this as a bug or a feature when it comes to the rollercoaster ride taken through an increasingly unstable Earth. As far as I was concerned, I would have liked to linger a little more with this ensemble of characters in order to build better relationships to latch onto during the fireworks. Even without that luxury, Moonfall still has quite a bit of fun to offer those who want to just jump into a familiar tale of destruction and resilience.

Orbiting around a trio of likable characters, Moonfall’s thinly spread story doesn’t totally decay.

Leaving the audience to fill in the gaps for themselves is something that draws away from the total package that Moonfall is trying to offer. The nagging feeling of scenes or beats entirely missing from storylines occurs frequently, especially through an extremely short scene between Halle Berry and Donald Sutherland. As that scene has been used quite a bit when promoting the film, you may have already prepared yourself for Sutherland to show up as a slightly glorified cameo. I can almost assure you that the actual moment is actually shorter than you’d think.  

If it wasn’t for the extremely likable characters and performances that hold Moonfalll together, we could have been talking about another type of disaster here. Leave it to Roland Emmerich’s confidence to somewhat save the day again, as casting Halle Berry and Patrick Wilson as heroic astronauts is one of those cases where his shorthand approach works. Berry and Wilson make for a fantastic team. 

But of course, every team like this needs an MVP, and, with no offense to his co-stars, John Bradley’s Dr. K.C. Houseman is the best part of Moonfall. Stealing portions of the movie with a mixture of humble likability and scientific expertise, K.C. is a role that’s very similar to the role played by Jeff Goldblum in Independence Day. Armed with a backstory involving a mother in a nursing home and a cat named Fuzz Aldrin, it isn’t hard to identify with the lovable character. Believe me when I tell you that John Bradley’s performance sticks the landing, knitting the three protagonists all the more closer when it comes to their third act voyage to the Moon.

Moonfall ambitiously tries to play as a leaner, meaner apocalypse movie – and while it doesn’t totally succeed, it’s still a fun blockbuster to indulge in.

On the whole, Moonfall feels underdeveloped when it comes to its story, but comfortably confident when it comes to the destructive spectacle and likable heroism on display. Looking at all of the pieces put together, that’s not to say that Roland Emmerich and his writers don’t know how to tell a story. Rather, it feels as if this particular spin on a tried and true formula was a bit too ambitious when it came to shaping itself as a leaner, meaner apocalypse movie. 

It wouldn’t at all be surprising to learn that there’s a longer version of this story that was cut down into a theatrical cut. As it stands, the finished product does manage to keep moving in the name of efficiency and adventure, which is what allows Moonfall to remain a fun indulgence in the name of special effects blockbusters. Such distractions are still needed at the movies, especially when there’s all sorts of new pitfalls, close calls, and gravity defying hijinks included.

Would it have been nice if Moonfall really took the time to slow down its ticking clock of unpredictability and give us some more weight to such matters? Yes, it absolutely would have – especially when we've seen Roland Emmerich use this playground to greater effect in the past. Even with that caveat in mind, it’s undeniable that the German filmmaker absolutely knows what he’s doing, even if the execution is outweighed by the spirit of innovation. It may be sparse in places, but Moonfall is still a great warmup to lure audiences back into theaters for a larger than life throwdown.

When you’ve made a disaster movie, it probably qualifies you to speak about other movies in the same genre. And Roland Emmerich has made his share of movies about the end of the world, so he probably knows more than most. The Day After Tomorrow director recently admitted that he wasn’t a big fan of Don’t Look Up, Netflix’s new satirical take on disaster movies, and had some thoughtful reflections on what the movie’s impact (no pun intended) could be. 

On paper, Don’t Look Up was an almost sure-fire hit. In reality, the film’s wild-but-maybe-not-that-wild premise that barely anyone would care about an impending apocalypse (except for Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence), didn’t really land for everyone. For instance, director Roland Emmerich, who told The Hollywood Reporter exactly why he "didn't care too much" Adam McKay’s Netflix comedy: 

The new movie has been viewed as a metaphor both for the ongoing pandemic and the threat of climate change. While it’s too early to say whether the director is right about its potential impact on audiences (or lack thereof), he’s not alone in his criticism of the movie. Despite boasting one of the most star-studded casts in Netflix history, the movie hasn’t resonated with a lot of viewers. Many fans and critics have agreed that its comedic approach to the end of the world was a miss. 

The ending of Don’t Look Up, including Leonardo DiCaprio’s gut-punch of a final line, has also been controversial. Some, like Roland Emmerich, found it dissatisfying. But in Sean O’Connell’s review of Don’t Look Up for CinemaBlend, he argued that the ending did resonate for him, albeit too late. All in all, it's pretty clear that it doesn't exactly sit alongside the best movies on Netflix.

Whether you agree with Roland Emmerich’s appraisal of Don’t Look Up or not, it’s hard to deny that he has made quite an impression on the disaster movie genre. In addition to The Day After Tomorrow, which sees the world being destroyed by a climate-change induced weather storm, he also directed the End Times-themed 2012 and everyone’s favorite alien invasion blockbuster Independence Day. 

He also helmed the new sci-fi thriller Moonfall, one of the many new movie releases in 2022. We’ll see if he manages to captivate audiences one in a way Don’t Look Up didn’t manage to do for him when the Halle Berry-led flick hits theaters on February 4. 

Earth’s Moon has always been an inspiration, both for positive achievements and negative counterpoints. Halle Berry’s latest film Moonfall absolutely falls into that second category, as the latest trailer for co-writer/director Roland Emmerich’s latest disasterpiece shows us a moon ready to collide with Earth. But that’s just the start of our problems, as all of  planet-destroying carnage fans want comes with an even more interesting twist. As it turns out, the Moon’s been hiding something from us for quite some time.

Or, rather, NASA and the U.S. government have been hiding something about Earth’s Moon from the rest of the world. As told to us in Moonfall’s new reel of footage, Donald Sutherland’s character Holdenfield reveals that the infamous two minutes of radio silence during the Moon Landing wasn’t so silent at all. And the classified information in that historical gap could be the key to Halle Berry, The Conjuring series’ Patrick Wilson, and Game of Thrones John Bradley saving the day. Or rather, what’s left of it after those impressive tidal wave set pieces. 

Playing the hits from past films like The Day After Tomorrow, 2012, and even the Independence Day duology, Roland Emmerich is about to put Halle Berry through her paces. Her character, Jo Fowler, was once an astronaut herself, and is now an executive at NASA. Somehow, her status hasn’t qualified her for the information that Donald Sutherland is laying down in Moonfall’s teaser trailer. 

The downside is that if Halle Berry’s Jo Fowler to have known earlier, the world might have been able to do something about this new threat. But the good news is, we get some awesome exposition building, presumably with Berry and Donald Sutherland holding court for what looks to be a captivating dramatic moment. And as we all know, it's those sorts of scenes that make for fascinating filling in-between destroying the coasts of the continental United States. 

Some of you might be thinking that Moonfall is starting to sound a bit familiar, and you’d be right. That same historical curiosity was what fueled the story to Transformers: Dark of the Moon back in 2011. But this time, instead of gigantic robotic spacecraft designed by Hasbro, we have what looks like swarms of nanobots ready to devour and destroy anything in their path. And that’s on top of Earth’s Moon being knocked out of its typical orbit, which is causing those huge destructive events in Moonfall’s latest teasing glimpse. 

Tidal waves look like they’re only the beginning, as recalling Moonfall’s previous trailer reminds us of the fact that those lunar nanobots look like they can both harm and hijack humans. Just when we learn that we can’t trust Earth’s Moon, which looks like an Apple store inspired base for some extraterrestrial threat we haven’t met yet, we now have to worry about whether Patrick Wilson can be trusted as well. 

Moonfall chooses to go for adventure on February 4, 2022, which leaves moviegoers two choices. Option A is to consult the 2021 release schedule, and see what films are coming before the Moon decides to land on us. Option B is to head over to our listing of 2022 movies, in hopes that somehow Halle Berry and her crew save us in time for The Batman to still make its intended release date. Lousy, inconsiderate moon trying to ruin the release calendar.

In 1969, NASA accomplished what seemed to be impossible: they landed humanity on the Moon. It’s been some time since we’ve been back, but thanks to director Roland Emmerich, “in 2022, the moon will come to us.” Though as we see in the first teaser for the Independence Day director’s latest film, Moonfall, it won’t be coming in peace. And all that stands between Earth and mysterious destruction is Academy Award winner Halle Berry.

Moonfall starts out by invoking President John F. Kennedy’s iconic pledge to visit that celestial body, from his “Address at Rice University on the Nation's Space Effort.” But the visuals soon shift to exactly what you’d expect from a Roland Emmerich movie, in this trailer released by Lionsgate. Concerned control rooms, a raging ecosystem, and a very shocked Michael Peña all play out the drama that comes from a movie from a man that helped reintroduce the world to a full and proper invasion.

And it definitely looks like an invasion is afoot in Moonfall. The central plot revolves around Halle Berry’s “NASA executive and former astronaut” Jo Fowler, who discovers the fact that something’s knocked the Moon out of its normal orbit and into a collision course with Earth. Some think it’s a conspiracy, but the evidence starts to mount, as an unexpected lifeform looks like it’s behind our planet’s worst day since Independence Day: Resurgence.

Which is an odd enough comparison when you take a look at both Roland Emmerich’s legacy-quel and Moonfall’s teaser trailer. The latter includes a stoic presidential speech as background to unidentified life forms potentially taking over the likes of Midway’s Patrick Wilson, not to mention the ensuing environmental madness that comes from the Moon heading towards us like a planetary cue ball. With that approach in mind, take a look at the teaser for 2016’s Independence Day: Resurgence:

This isn’t a knock on Roland Emmerich, but rather a note that the man has a particular style. It’s that style that Moonfall is clearly operating within the parameters of, and to be honest, it’s kind of comforting. Every now and then, the Earth needs to be knocked down a peg in a movie such as this, so that Halle Berry can stand up, glare at the Moon in the most heroic way possible, and help save humanity. It’s a concept that’s arriving at the right time, both in terms of the box office calendar, as well as the recent wave of blockbuster action that Berry has been riding.

Good, old fashioned, world destroying fun is headed our way once again, and in only a couple of months, as Moonfall comes to our planet on February 4th, 2022. So it’s not too early to check out that 2022 release schedule, just in case the Moon starts to look a little funny in the days to come. You never really do know what’s out there in the vastness of space.

Independence Day is always the movie to watch on the Fourth of July, especially now the film is celebrating its 25th year since its release in 1996. Bill Pullman’s iconic Fourth of July speech as President Thomas J. Whitmore helped change the film's name from its original title (Doomsday doesn’t sound nearly as good as Independence Day). Jeff Goldblum has some amazing lines of his own in Independence Day, and the actor has revealed his most iconic one was, in fact, a nod to Jurassic Park.

Jeff Goldblum is no stranger to blockbusters. Starring in the massively influential Jurassic Park and then following that up with Independence Day, aka another one of the biggest movies ever. Jeff Goldblum has spoken about Independence Day in recognition of the 25th anniversary of the film and has revealed one of his most repeated lines from the film was taken directly from Jurassic Park, telling Yahoo! Entertainment:

Jeff Goldblum explains how his “Must go faster” line from Jurassic Park made it into Independence Day, saying it was suggested while they were filming the big escape from the mothership with the movies lead Will Smith. You know the famous scene: Jeff Goldblum is backseat driving as Will Smith is trying to escape before the nuke they fire into the heart of the ship explodes. The “Must go faster” line creates a cool moment of recognition and connective tissue to Goldblum's work in Jurassic Park, and it's nice to know it was an intentional homage.

Goldblum goes on to say he hopes that Steven Spielberg liked what they did with his line and that they used it with great affection and admiration for his work. Goldblum also explains how the Jurassic Park line came to be, saying it was organically suggested by Spielberg in the middle of shooting the T-Rex chase scene where Jeff Goldblum's character hears tremors and sees the vibrations in the puddles indicating that something big is coming.

Jeff Goldblum heard the suggestion and wondered if Steven Spielberg wanted his character to give a scientifically appropriate interpretation of the line, but they ended up keeping it simple and went with “must go faster” as the uttered line while the T-Rex bore down on the Jeep. The line is now in the lexicon of Jeff Goldblum-ism’s for two different films, truly cementing it as an iconic getaway line.

There are a lot of facts about Independence Day you may not know. Seeing how the film could have turned out if things broke a little differently is fun to think about. Stories like Jeff Goldblum plagiarizing his line from Jurassic Park to make an homage to Steven Spielberg is a fun story that adds to the film's legacy.

To also note, Jeff Goldblum will be reprising his Jurassic Park role, a role he believes is more relevant than ever. The original Jurassic cast is coming back, and they are promised to play a major part in Jurassic World: Dominion. Fans are hoping for some new lines that only Jeff Goldblum can pull off, and maybe some callbacks to all the ones that came before. "Must Go Faster," anyone?

Independence Day is one of the most memorable movies of the ‘90s. It's terrifying, exhilarating and ultimately triumphant story of humans overcoming an alien invasion is so iconic that many fans still revisit the film every Fourth of July weekend. Part of what makes Independence Day so great is its pitch-perfect cast, including Bill Pullman as one of the best fictional presidents of all time, Jeff Goldblum and, of course, Will Smith. For the latter, Independence Day was a breakthrough career moment -- but it’s one that almost didn’t happen, because the studio wanted to cast someone else.

During the casting process for Independence Day, director Roland Emmerich, screenwriter Dean Devlin and the rest of the film’s creative team had someone very specific in mind for the lead role of Captain Steven Hiller. Despite the fact that Will Smith was, at that point, mostly known for his hip hop career and his role on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, they felt certain that he was ready to lead their blockbuster-in-the-making.

There was just one problem. As Roland Emmerich told The Hollywood Reporter, the studio heads at 20th Century Fox wanted to cast someone else in the role:

Producer and co-writer Dean Devlin remembers the casting process similarly. And he did not mince words as far as what the studio’s concerns were regarding casting Will Smith:

Roland Emmerich said that the disagreement over Smith’s casting was not easily resolved, as the two sides went back and forth for a while. However, as Emmerich further explained, he refused to back down when it came to his vision for Independence Day:

Roland Emmerich, Dean Devlin and the rest of team that cast Will Smith were, as we all know now, on the right track. Independence Day was a box office smash, and Will Smith became one of the biggest movie stars in the world, thanks to his star-making turn.

While he chose not to reprise his role for the sequel, 2016’s Independence Day: Resurgence, Will Smith has built an incredible film career, to say the least. He also went on to star in, among many other blockbuster hits, the Men In Black and Bad Boys franchises. He’s also been nominated for two Academy Awards, which also proves his success in Independence Day was far from a fluke.

This year has been a crazy one, changing our routines and shifting things about our culture momentously. Just a few short weeks ago, actress Alexandra Daddario spoke out, humorously advocating for pants-free living in 2020. Now, it seems Halle Berry basically has the same mindset for the year.

Halle Berry has seemed very happy in her relationship with Van Hunt recently, sharing plenty of posts about and with her new man. But her latest Instagram post is a solo one, where’s she’s wearing one of her man’s tees, a hat and no pants. This is just life now guys. Jeans, dress pants, slacks, harem pants, culottes, palazzo pants, corduroys: who really needs them?

While Halle Berry seems to be leaving the pants life behind, Alexandra Daddario recently was candid about being straight up over it. The actress, who is appearing in the Michael Bay-produced movie Songbird this month, humorously reflected on how she got used to not having to wear pants in quarantine. Personally, she said she doesn’t even understand why jeans used to be a thing! Per Daddario:

In Alexandra Daddario's case, swimwear and sweats seem to be her clothing of choice, though she was seen wearing jeans once in the time since she made her humorous comment.

It’s definitely true that clothing has changing a lot during 2020. I personally used to go into an office most days and wore heels on many of those days. Now, the shoes getting the most use are my running shoes and the Birkenstock knockoff sandals I throw on to grab the mail every day. I’ve heard from a lot of people who aren’t going in to essential worker jobs that sweatpants have become the clothing of choice. It’s a whole new world out there, people.

Alexandra Daddario may have to begrudgingly throw jeans on for work right now, and Halle Berry may need to follow suit some days. The actress is currently attached to Roland Emmerich’s latest film Moonfall, a space movie about the moon getting hit by an asteroid, which makes sense for the director's oft disaster-oriented bent. That movie started principal photography back in October in Montreal.

Still, she seems to have plenty of time to maintain her no-pants attitude and in general these days a lot of people can probably relate.

On this day, in an alternate 1996, an alien force invaded Earth, leveled its major cities, and put humanity’s back against the wall. At least that’s what happened in director Roland Emmerich’s summer blockbuster landmark Independence Day, a movie that to this day still defines the pop culture impact the ‘90s had on filmmaking. Some may say that this happening was an inexplicable accident, but if you dig deep enough into the behind-the-scenes facts surrounding the film’s production, you can see just why its appeal has endured through over 20 years. Today, we celebrate this sci-fi classic that would not go quietly into history, as we present to you some cool facts you may or may not have known about the day we fought back.

Independence Day Started On The Press Tour For Stargate

Believe it or not, Independence Day director and co-writer Roland Emmerich doesn't believe in aliens. But what he does believe in is what led to this film getting made in the first place, as Emmerich told a reporter during the press tour for Stargate that he believed in the following core concepts:

With that firmly in his head, he'd approach co-writer/producer Dean Devlin and say, "I think we've got our next movie". And thus, Independence Day was born.

Without Bill Pullman’s Big Speech, Independence Day Might Not Have Landed Its Title

A title like Independence Day is one that’s hard to forget, and without Bill Pullman’s rousing speech as President Thomas Whitmore in the film’s third act, that title may have never been landed. Fighting with the studio over whether the film should be called by its final title, or the less appealing Doomsday, co-writer/producer Dean Devlin admitted in the flim’s commentary that the final line of that particular speech was thrown in to seal the deal. Moving that speech up in the shooting schedule, Pullman’s performance made history by landing the title, and becoming one of cinema’s greatest pump up speeches.

President Whitmore Was Almost Played By A Very Different Actor

Dean Devlin had a young up and coming actor he’d gone to high school with in mind to play the President Whitmore in the original drafts of Independence Day: and it was none other than Kevin Spacey. But according to a THR interview with Devlin, there was an argument with an executive at Fox that halted this casting once and for all. Apparently, this executive "just didn't think Kevin Spacey was a movie star." So the script had to be re-written for Bill Pullman’s variant on the character, which ultimately proved to be extremely useful in the long run.

Judd Hirsch Had To Be Aged Up To Play Jeff Goldblum’s Father

The pairing of Jeff Goldblum’s David Levinson and actor Judd Hirsch playing his father, Julius, is one of the crucial elements to why Independence Day works so well as a character driven blockbuster. But, with only 18 years separating the actors in real life, some extraordinary measures had to be taken, as Dean Devlin would explain as follows:

According to the commentary on the home video release of the film, that scene was among one of the first to be filmed in the early days of the New York section of their shoot. And, if Roland Emmerich is to be believed, Hirsch fought over every gray hair in his on-screen look.

Ethan Hawke Was Offered A Role In Independence Day, But Couldn’t Finish Reading The Script

If his own personal account on Conan is anything to go by, actor Ethan Hawke was offered a role in Independence Day, and it might have been the role of Captain Steven Hiller. However, Hawke never finished reading the script, as he reached a line about E.T. in Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich’s screenplay, and thought it sounded so ridiculous he threw his script onto the Texas highway during a road trip he was on at the time. Which was good news for Will Smith, who would go on to land the role of Captain Hiller, and made referencing E.T. cool again.

Will Smith’s Big Bathroom Introduction Made Audiences Have To Pee

That’s not all Will Smith did for audiences in his big blockbuster success, as Independence Day had a pretty funny claim to fame that Dean Devlin dropped during the film’s commentary track. If you felt like you had to run to the bathroom after that bathroom scene, know that you weren’t alone. Devlin delivered those goods in the following anecdote:

Believe it or not, that’s not the strangest thing that the production of Independence Day had people believing. But we’ll get to that story later, as it’s time to cover another favorite subject of ours: deleted profanity!

Eh, Forget The F Bomb

In one of the more scene stealing supporting performances in Independence Day, Harvey Fierstein’s role as Jeff Goldblum’s boss at Compact Cable, Marty, is one of those key pieces to what glues the film together overall. But, in the quest of keeping the ever coveted PG-13 rating, there was a line that has always stuck out with every viewing of the film: “Eh, forget my lawyer”. As it turns out, the line is an obvious dubover of the original dialogue, which you can clearly see Fierstein mouthing on screen: “Eh, fuck my lawyer”.

Harry Connick, Jr. Owes His Independence Day Role To Matthew Perry

In the realm of alternate casting, Dean Devlin hands the audience yet another juicy story on the Independence Day commentary track, as Captain Jimmy Wilder almost wasn’t played by singer/actor/former American Idol judge Harry Connick Jr.

Just as you thought this story couldn’t be any more of a surprise, Matthew Perry’s father is actually in the film as a Secret Service agent protecting Mary McDonnell’s Marilyn Whitmore. Thanksgiving 1996 must have been a hell of a dinner in the Perry household.

Independence Day Actually Convinced People They Saw A UFO During Filming

Some movies are so good at playing their audience, they can convince the world that they could happen in real life. But one specific story about Independence Day’s production saw people literally believing invaders were present in the California skies, as both Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich went back and forth with their commentary track to tell the following story:

This tale came from the shooting of the Operation Welcome Wagon sequence, where a helicopter used to fight forest fires was retrofitted with lights flashing a morse code message to the aliens. Though, it really would have helped to have given people a heads up beforehand.

One Simple Trick Helped Enhance Independence Day’s First Gigantic Set Piece

There is a lot of early CGI effects present in Independence Day, but there’s also a healthy mix of old fashioned models and techniques at work in the film’s larger set-pieces. One of the most impressive, and most difficult to achieve, was the big Act I closer where the alien ships attack all of the major cities around the world. And one simple trick, divulged by Roland Emmerich in his contribution to the commentary, helped generate various shots of cities being engulfed in flames:

Those effects undoubtedly did the trick, as they mesh together with the CGI elements to create one huge disaster laden moment that stuck the landing, and made up a large portion of Independence Day’s ad campaign. Not to mention, it generated a moment of audience reaction that even Dean Devlin couldn’t have seen coming.

Boomer’s Survival Was A Pretty Big Deal To Audiences

Boomer, the beautiful Labrador Retriever that helped make the Hiller family a cohesive unit in Independence Day, was apparently an instant family favorite. Dean Devlin, with a slight air of deadpan surprise in his voice, made that fact very clear in this following story:

Apparently, crowds in various screenings even screamed at the scene where Boomer narrowly avoids death with a well-timed jump. It may have seemed ridiculous at the time, but in our modern culture where an entire website is dedicated to whether animals survive a particular movie or not, it feels like the beginning of the story we’re in now.

The US Military Was Going To Support Independence Day, Until One Key Plot Point Convinced Them Otherwise

If you can get the US Military to cooperate with a film like Independence Day, it’s a pretty spectacular thing. And that’s exactly what almost happened, as Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich were lined up to receive that sort of support. Except, there was a pretty big ask they had of the creative duo: they REALLY wanted Area 51 removed from the movie’s story.

Looking at what the intent of those Area 51 sequences was, as well as remembering the memorable moments with Brent Spiner’s Dr. Okun that came as a result, it looks like the tradeoff was the wise move in the long run.

The Casse Family Had A Lot More To Do In The Special Edition Cut

If there’s one sect of Independence Day’s characters that took most of the editing room’s brunt, it has to have been the Winnebago traveling troupe known as the Casse family. Led by Randy Quaid’s Russell, this family unit found a lot of their journey to Area 51 cut, which includes an entire subplot about the youngest son getting sicker through the movie, due to a chronic illness. Most notably, there’s even an entire alternate scene that was cut entirely where Randy Quaid’s Russell shows up in the nick of time in the final aerial battle, with a missile strapped to his red biplane. Fear not, as that deleted subplot is added back into the Special Edition cut of the film, with the biplane rescue remaining in the deleted scenes section.

The Most Important Component Of Independence Day, According To Dean Devlin

Independence Day, as big of an effects laden spectacle it's always been, does take time to build its characters and see their development in-between destroying cities. And the reason why this ebb and flow was so important to the film is summed up in one of the last comments Dean Devlin makes during the movie’s commentary:

Going on to become the highest grossing film of 1996, Independence Day delivered the thrills of huge interplanetary warfare along with the close, personal moments that made us really love the characters we’d met along the way. It’s a franchise that, while currently in a state of stasis, could come back at any point. So long as Disney’s current ownership of the property is a going concern, all the top brass have to do is say the word, and Roland Emmerich would return.

Independence Day is available on digital HD, 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD; and if you want to hear some of the stories above, and more, you should definitely snag a copy of the film loaded with all the extras.

Film productions around the world are still on hold as we wait for the all-clear, but that doesn't mean Hollywood is at a complete standstill. New projects are still being planned for the future, and one of them is the next big disaster epic from Roland Emmerich. Josh Gad became the first the actor to sign on to Moonfall, which will see humanity trying to prevent Earth's satellite from colliding with the planet, and now word has come that the film has found it's female lead in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum co-star Halle Berry.

According to Lionsgate, the Oscar winner will play a former astronaut who is now a NASA administrator. Her particular importance to the plot comes from a previous space mission, which will somehow be connected to the current impending catastrophe.

Josh Gad was previously announced as being part of Moonfall. He'll play the scientist who first discovers that the moon is falling out of its orbit. This leads to an outer space mission where a "ragtag team" will go to the moon in an attempt to prevent the destruction of Earth.

Halle Berry and Josh Gad probably aren't the first two names one would think of when putting together a team to save the world, so it looks like the 'ragtag" part of the concept is coming together quite well.

Since the focus of Moonfall will clearly be the team of heroes, there are certainly more casting announcements to come. Hopefully, we'll see some other great, but unexpected, names joining the team. But Halle Berry is a nice addition to that cast. She impressed with her action-heavy performance in John Wick: Chapter 3, and while Moonfall is probably going to be light on the gunplay, it will almost certainly not be lacking in action. This is the man who brought us Independence Day, after all.

In addition to directing Moonfall, Roland Emmerich co-wrote the script with Spenser Cohen as well as Harald Kloser who previously wrote 2012 with Emmerich, The director's last big action epic was the historically based Midway.

Production of Moonfall is looking to get underway this fall, with eyes on on as yet unspecified 2021 release date. Of course, that will almost certainly be contingent on a lot of external factors. While it feels like film productions are going to be getting back under way sooner rather than later, there's still a lot of unknowns on the horizon that could still force major shifts in future Hollywood releases.

Moonfall might be just the movie we all need by the time it comes around next year. A completely over-the-top disaster epic where, one assumes, humanity prevails, sounds like exactly the sort of thing I would like to watch on the big screen.

Roland Emmerich is known for making big screen epic adventures where disaster befalls the world. Josh Gad is known for making family friendly Disney movies. These two are coming together, but they're not meeting in the middle. Instead, Gad is the first actor cast in Moonfall, the next big disaster movie from Emmerich, which will see the moon, well...fall.

Moonfall is being described as an ensemble movie, so there will be many more casting announcements made, but Josh Gad's role is key to the story. According to THR, Gad will play a character named KC Houseman who is the scientist who first realizes that the moon is falling out of its orbit. The character is described as a genius, but one who is as disorganized as he is brilliant. It's the sort of character we've seen before, the dishevel genius, but honestly, Josh Gad feels like a perfect fit for that sort of role.

Moonfall has a sort of Armageddon feel where the moon is knocked from its orbit and is set to collide with earth, leading to a mission to land on the lunar surface to avert the catastrophe. The team heading to the moon will likely make up the a large part of the rest of the main cast. We can expect actors to be found to fill out those roles in the near future now that we know casting is underway.

Roland Emmerich's last film was Midway, which used the director's trademark style on a real world event. Now, he's heading off in the other direction with a science fiction story closer to Independence Day than World War II. At this point, it certainly feels like a less realistic global disaster would be preferable.

Josh Gad will next be seen in Artemis Fowl. The film was planned for a Memorial Day Weekend theatrical release, but now the movie will hit Disney+ on June 12.

Moonfall is hoping to begin shooting sometime this fall. While that seems plausible at this point, everything is still very much up in the air regarding film productions right now. It looks like things are slowly getting back underway, and if there are no surprises, then a fall production date will likely be fine.

Still, it will be interesting to see how new films navigate the difficulties that have spiraled out from the closing down of productions. Depending on when some films are able to get back to work, and how much longer it will take to get them finished, much of the cast and crew that might be involved in something like Moonfall might be booked. Production could get delayed even once things are back to normal because of the shuffling that almost certainly isn't done when it comes to production and release dates.

It’s no question the Stargate franchise has an avid fanbase, as shown by the movie and the success of shows such as Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and Stargate Universe (RIP), not to mention web series Stargate Origins. At some point there were talks about a second movie as well, but where we are at currently does not seem to be on the brink of making it happen, although Roland Emmerich says there were talks.

The popular director of such projects as Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, Midway and of course 1994’s Stargate was recently doing press for his 2019 WWII film’s DVD release. When you have such a large catalog of movies to talk about, occasionally things like Stargate do come up. Here’s what Roland Emmerich had to say to Comicbook.com about the movie:

As recently as 2015, which just so happens to be prior to the release of Stargate Origins, Roland Emmerich was working with Dean Devlin on creating a reboot of the film. Sounds cool right? Roland Emmerich had previously mentioned things were "looking good" there for a little while, but then time passed and like many great ideas, this one seemingly puttered out over time.

More than a year ago producer Dean Devlin talked about creating Geostorm and coming to the realization that perhaps he shouldn’t be doing big studio movies. He’d left the Stargate reboot and really wasn’t sure if MGM wanted to move forward or not.

That’s the last thing we really heard about bringing the popular franchise back to the big screen, although Amanda Tapping and Richard Dean Anderson did reunite recently and also did express interest in doing some sort of continuation. When they spoke out they also noted there was interest from MGM, with Tapping noting,

So, from the looks of things MGM is aware the fanbase might appreciate new Stargate content and some people have been approached, but for whatever reason (Budget? Talent?), it just hasn’t come together yet. In more bad news, Stargate Command shut down at the tail end of 2019, too. So, there’s really nothing sort of propelling a new project forward at the moment.

To me, Amanda Tapping's idea of a one-off movie or a limited run actually sounds ideal. Some sort of fan event on a smaller scale could actually work budget-wise and could bring characters people really love back for one more round. This obviously wouldn't be the same thing as the project Roland Emmerich was propelling forward just a few years ago, but it would be something that I think could have the potential to resonate.

But for now, we'll have to wait, hope and revisit that Season 4, Episode 6 time loop episode to buoy our spirits when things feel particularly bleak. There's nothing like watching people play golf through the Stargate, after all.

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After the merger between what was once 20th Century Fox and what is very much still Disney, quite a few projects were dropped or shuffled around. Even the fates of some major properties like Alien and Planet of the Apes have come into question as of late, although the futures of those franchises seem to be in early discussions and planning. But what about Independence Day 3? Roland Emmerich has thoughts about the franchise and where it could still  go under the Disney umbrella.

Recently, while making the rounds for the home video release of his latest film Midway, Roland Emmerich had gone on record as being sad about the state of the Independence Day franchise. The reason for his dour mood is that with the “disappearance” of Fox, the studio that made both the 1996 blockbuster and its sequel Independence Day: Resurgence, it sounds like the proposed threequel is back to square one.

During my own interview with Roland Emmerich, I had asked him if there was still a chance that this second sequel could see the light of day. Uncertain, but hopeful, he gave me these details as to how he sees the project’s current status:

Roland Emmerich isn’t wrong to hold out a little hope for Independence Day 3 at Disney’s now-retitled 20th Century Studios, as he hit the nail on the head when it comes to what it represents. Even when Independence Day: Resurgence was being shepherded under the auspices of 20th Century Fox a couple of years ago, the plan was always the same: bringing back the fans that made the first film a humongous hit with a new and continuing adventure.

Of course, Resurgence did not have the box office run the studio may have hoped for.  What was once being developed as a two-part film entitled Independence Day: Forever had become a single film that failed to capture the same sort of lighting in a bottle that Independence Day had back in its ‘90s heyday.

In retrospect, Emmerich has stated that he felt Independence Day: Resurgence should have either been canceled or delayed, due to the film’s script falling into disarray once Will Smith was no longer returning as Captain Steven Hiller. Though even with his personal doubts about the film, the director not only completed the sequel as planned, he also had a pretty good idea as to where Independence Day 3 was going to go at that time.

With past remarks hinting at an “intergalactic journey” that continues the story and characters originated in Independence Day: Resurgence, it was pretty safe to assume that a direct continuation would follow humanity’s teaming with the alien intelligence seen at the end of the film. As it’s been longer than the proposed two-year gap between sequels, one would think a potential sequel may have to change premises. However, Roland Emmerich does have a potential idea for Independence Day 3 in mind:

That “next one” Emmerich might be talking about is the first film on his post Midway docket, the sci-fi thriller Moonfall, as when discussing the director’s workload and what he’s working on next, that particular title was mentioned as his follow-up to last year’s World War II-based hit. This is on top of another couple of films he’s developing at the current moment, and an idea for a biopic on Erwin Rommel that he’s itching to tackle.

Unfortunately, if you’re looking for any details as to what Independence Day 3 will be about in this newly-researched version, you’re going to have to wait. Despite politely inquiring if any hints could be given towards the future of humanity’s war with the Harvesters, Roland Emmerich let me down politely with a laugh and a simple "no" when I asked about another sequel's plot.

I guess it would be foolhardy to release any details for an Independence Day 3 at this point because, as we’ve seen in the past, plans can get delayed or cancelled altogether. With hope still very much alive that Disney will make the film as part of the studio's recent crop of live-action remakes, legacyquels, and franchise-friendly fare, Roland Emmerich is wise to keep any possible details under wraps.

That said, the buzz is out there, and if fans want to see a third outing where Jeff Goldblum and an all-star cast save the world with quirky behavior and massive smarts, that’s something folks will have to make known as loudly as possible. For now though, you can see Roland Emmerich’s blockbuster skills at work in your own home, as Midway is available now on Digital HD, 4K Ultra HD , Blu-ray and DVD from Lionsgate.

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There are two sorts of films that Roland Emmerich is fascinated by crafting: tales of historical heroism and big ticket blockbusters. Emmerich’s modern retelling of the battle of Midway falls into the former category, and Midway ended up being a surprise hit in last November’s crowded box office calendar. Which means the fact that he’s interested in telling yet another tale of World War II warfare is probably something his current studio partners are going to be exceedingly interested in hearing about.

During a phone interview with Roland Emmerich on behalf of the home video release of Midway, I asked if there were any other tales from American military history that he’d want to adapt for the big screen. While his answer wasn’t a tale from the U.S. side of World War II, Emmerich did mention the following real life figure he’d want to tell the story of on the big screen:

An integral figure in the war apparatus of Nazi Germany, Erwin Rommel was best known as a military strategist who helped the Axis powers keep a firm grip on their outposts in Africa through his superior tactics involving tank warfare. Eventually, Rommel would turn against Hitler, and that decision would ultimately lead to his own suicide in 1944, as his involvement in the failed coup “Operation Valkyrie” would force the Nazi leader to offer him the choice of a trial that would discredit him to the public, or a death that would allow him to remain a hero.

However, as Roland Emmerich explained what drew him to Erwin Rommel’s story, a picture of what sort of film the Midway director wants to make started to form. Instead of a rousing war epic, much like the film we were paired to discuss, his Rommel biopic would go into a lot of the pieces of his personality that most people don’t recognize automatically.

Roland Emmerich continued to explain his fascination with the man as follows:

While the public at large might not know much about Erwin Rommel’s life, aside from his infamous nickname and a rather memorable reference by George C. Scott’s portrayal of General George S. Patton in the 1970 film Patton, there’s part of Erwin Rommel’s story that has already been told on film, albeit in an adjacent sort of manner.

As Erwin Rommel was part of those who banded together in the failed coup known as “Operation Valkyrie,” that infamous rebellion was committed to cinematic history through Bryan Singer’s 2008 film Valkyrie. That film’s modest success, as well as the fact that Emmerich scored a decisive win against films like Terminator: Dark Fate and Doctor Sleep with the first place debut of Midway last November, shows that there is probably a market for a biopic covering Erwin Rommel’s life and times during his service in World War II. And knowing his attachment to the material, the director would be a great fit to tell such a story.

Most importantly, much as Midway sought to humanize both sides of the conflict between the American and Japanese forces involved in that skirmish, the efforts to bring Erwin Rommel’s story to life would also show that while the Nazi war machine had its fair share of those whose aims were inhumane, there were those who attempted to destroy it from the inside, and paid the ultimate price.

A fan of stories involving the triumph of the underdog, Roland Emmerich’s tackling of that very subject has bound both his sci-fi and historical pursuits since the very beginning. With star studded casts and rousing battles as some of his cinematic trademarks, hits like Independence Day and The Patriot nailed in those values with pretty solid results.

With a proposed film on Rommel, Roland Emmerich would, in essence, round off his coverage of World War II. As Midway covered both the American and Japanese forces fighting in the Pacific theater of war, an Erwin Rommel film would cover the more familiar European theater of war with the director’s signature style.

Unfortunately, if you’re looking forward to this hypothetical Emmerich history film, it looks like you’ll have quite a bit of a wait ahead of you. When talking about this potential Midway follow up, he set the following expectations when it comes to any movement on this film:

The projects currently occupying Roland Emmerich’s slate are presumed to be both his adaptation of Blake Crouch’s best-selling sci-fi novel Dark Matter, as well as a project that the director confirmed he’s hard at work with, his other long discussed sci-fi epic Moonfall. And then, of course, there’s always the possibility that the long slumbering Independence Day 3 will be revived by Disney, ready to whup some more E.T. ass; something that would undoubtedly brighten Roland Emmerich’s spirits, since he’s currently a bit sad about how that project has been fairing.

Still, Roland Emmerich believes in the underdog. As he pushed to make Midway over the course of 20 years, with different studio partners attached throughout, he saw his dream through to victory. If anyone has the mindset to get a film such as this, or any other dream project, made into a reality, it has to be the man that just loves an upset in the face of adversity.

Midway is available now on Digital HD, 4K Ultra HD , Blu-ray and DVD from Lionsgate.

The original Independence Day was one of the biggest summer blockbusters of the '90s. It made Will Smith a 4th of July weekend institution for years. The sequel....was not that. Independence Day: Resurgence was unable to cause a resurgence of interest in the franchise, at least domestically, and now the future is even more clouded in mystery because the studio that made the first two films, 20th Century Fox, technically doesn't even exist anymore.

Independence Day was a 20th Century Fox film and no movie will ever come from a studio called that ever again. Starting next weekend the Disney-owned 20th Century Studios will release The Call of the Wild, the first film under the new banner of what used to be 20th Century Fox.

This puts the future of Independence Day in the hands of Disney, and so director Roland Emmerich has no idea what the future might hold. At this point, it seems he's mostly just sad that even if Independence Day does live again, it will do so without 20th Century Fox. According to Emmerich...

20th Century Fox existed as a studio for nearly 100 years and was one of the major names in the industry for decades. It's a major blow to the industry in general that the studio no longer exists. Having fewer big studios isn't good for creativity. And it does also hit cinema fans hard to see the studio behind some of Hollywood's greatest films ever made fade away.

It seems for Roland Emmerich, because he worked with 20th Century Fox, he's actually taking it kind of personally based on what he tells ComicBook.com.

If you were hoping for the future of Independence Day franchise, the bad news is that there clearly aren't any plans for anything, but mostly because, as Roland Emmerich says, he hasn't had any time to explore anything following the Disney acquisition. Who knows? Maybe Disney would be interested in doing something with the property.

Independence Day: Resurgence was supposed to be the first in a new series of films, but the project fell mostly flat at the box office, which made the planned movies quite unlikely to materialize. At this point, under the new Disney bosses, it seems quite likely that even if a way forward is found, it won't be with Roland Emmerich's planned films, but anything is possible. As the director says, the movie industry is constantly changing, and sometimes that means ideas that were out of favor before gain new interest.

Midway is available now on Digital and on 4K Ultra HD , Blu-ray and DVD  February 18.

Director Roland Emmerich is no stranger to huge big screen conflicts. In Independence Day and Stargate, people faced off with aliens. In 2012 and The Day After Tomorrow, people faced off with nature and the apocalypse. But for his new film Midway, Roland Emmerich took on the real-life conflict of World War II, where people were fighting other people. Midway therefore works to humanize both sides of the conflict, as Roland Emmerich explained:

As a German, whose family were not members of the Nazi party, Roland Emmerich was able to bring a slightly different perspective to his World War II movie. Midway works to humanize both sides of the conflict in World War II because even though wars are between countries they are fought by people and not all of the people in the respective countries support the aims of those in charge.

History is written by the winnersm but Rolan Emmerich wanted a more nuanced, expansive view of things for Midway. Therefore, he sought to humanize both sides of the conflict. So he didn’t want to represent the Japanese people and soldiers as a monolithic entity of evil just as not all Germans were members of the Nazi party. Midway star Ed Skrein has said that he wants the film to honor the men who fought on both sides of the battle.

As Roland Emmerich told Slash Film, long before making Midway,he saw a documentary about the pivotal and decisive 1942 battle and that gave him greater understanding of the history of what happened in the Pacific Theater. This iincludes the Japanese plan, Isoroku Yamamoto, why the Japanese lost, an the importance of the aircraft carriers. He was able to take all of that into the making of Midway.

The director continued:

The Japanese were at a major disadvantage when it came to resource replenishment, making the Battle of Midway critical. Roland Emmerich wanted to put the strategic battle between Japanese Marshal-Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto and Admiral Chester W. Minitz onscreen and tell that story.

But beyond that macro story of two commanders moving pieces on the board, Roland Emmerich also wanted to tell the story of the pieces themselves, the men fighting a battle much bigger than themselves. As he said, that encompasses a whole swath of people who are just doing their jobs on all levels to contribute to the war effort. Showing that and showing the different types of people involved humanizes the conflict because you see the normal people whose lives are on the line.

While far from a massive success, especially considering its $100 million budget, Midway still won the Veteran’s Day weekend with $17.5 million at the box office. The film also earned an A CinemaScore, indicating that those who saw Midway really appreciated Roland Emmerich’s approach.

Midway is now playing. Check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see what else is headed to theaters this year.

Director Roland Emmerich's new war film Midway just opened in theaters on November 8, ahead of Veterans Day on Monday, November 11. Midway is based on the true story of the pivotal World War II battle, with U.S. and Japanese naval forces clashing six months after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. The film stars Ed Skrein as Lieutenant Richard "Dick" Best, and he has a specific goal for the movie.

Ed Skrein told CinemaBlend he's a proud Londoner but also "a global citizen." The Deadpool and Game of Thrones (but not Hellboy) star said he wanted Midway to stand for all of the men who fought in the battle -- the Japanese soldiers as well as the Americans. Here's what he told us:

As Ed Skrein's Midway co-star Dennis Quaid noted in his own interview with CinemaBlend, the Battle of Midway was a turning point for the U.S. in World War II, marking a decisive victory for the Americans. The world could've looked very different if the June 1942 battle turned out another way.

Here's Ed Skrein's hope for Midway to represent the bravery of all of the men involved:

Watch more from our interviews with Midway stars Patrick Wilson, Dennis Quaid, Ed Skrein and more -- plus director Roland Emmerich.

The 138-minute movie didn't seem to have any trouble attracting major names for the cast -- including Woody Harrelson, Luke Evans, Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Darren Criss, Alexander Ludwig, and Mandy Moore -- in addition to Ed Skrein, Dennis Quaid, and Patrick Wilson.

Midway is hardly the first war film, or the first to spotlight a major World War II battle -- from Michael Bay's Pearl Harbor to Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk and the many in between.

However, director/producer Roland Emmerich struggled to get funding for Midway. While the film is said to have a $100 million budget, it was made outside the studio system, leading Variety to dub Midway one of the most expensive indie films ever made. Because he couldn't get a major studio to back a higher budget, the Independence Day director told Variety he had to cut $25 million by shaving down shooting days and compromising on his initial ambitions for battle sequences.

Midway has been getting mixed reviews from critics, but will most likely appeal to history buffs. According to Box Office Mojo, Midway is opening in 3,242 theaters at the domestic box office, and it's expected to make around $20 million this weekend. Keep up with everything still headed to the big screen this year with our 2019 movie release date schedule.

When director Roland Emmerich comes to mind, the images that accompany the name are likely those of some of the most over the top action in recent cinematic history. Global environmental disaster in The Day After Tomorrow. Landmark's destroyed by alien invasion in Independence Day. Lots of big, beautiful explosions.

Emmerich's new film Midway, about the historic World War II battle, is therefore, by comparison, one of his most grounded pictures to date. It's based on an actual event that really happened to real people, after all, with some of those individuals still being around (my screening included a special guest, a 106-year-old former member of the U.S.S. Hornet's crew). But make no mistake, Midway is no less a traditional Roland Emmerich movie.

Midway actually starts a few years before World War II ever gets underway. Edwin Layton (Patrick Wilson) is a U.S. Navel attache stationed in Japan. At a dinner among allies, Layton receives a warning from his host, Isoroku Yamamoto (Etsushi Toyokawa). Japan wishes to be a world power, but because it is dependent on allies for resources like oil, the nation is in a precarious position. If those resources are threatened, Japan may strike back.

This of course, leads us to the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, which opens the film proper. And start off with a bang is something Midway certainly does. The battle is big, chaotic and explosive. This is Roland Emmerich's comfort zone, and it shows. While this is the fight the "good guys" lose, the sequence isn't short changed at all. It would work as the explosive finale of any other action movie, and this is where we start.

The film's narrative follows three concurrent groups of characters. Story one is Dick Best (Ed Skrein), Wade McClusky (Luke Evans) and Roy Pearce (Alexander Ludwig), as Naval pilots, serving under Admiral William Halsey (Dennis Quaid). Story two follows Edwin Layton, who is now an intelligence officer stationed at Pearl Harbor, working alongside Admiral Chester Nimitz (Woody Harrelson), the new commander of Naval forces in the Pacific theater. Story three gives us the Japanese side of the fight, primarily through the eyes of Yamamoto.

You might want to brush up on the Battle of Midway before seeing Midway

Those are far from the only characters, however. There's a brief diversion to follow Jimmy Doolitte (Aaron Eckhart) and his raiders on a bombing run of Tokyo. Mandy Moore plays Anne Best, wife of pilot Dick, who is holding down the home front with her daughter. Nick Jonas plays Machinest Mate Bruno Gaido on board Halsey's U.S.S. Enterprise who gets a side story of his own. And that's not all.

As you can probably start to tell, there are a lot of people in this movie. Midway wants to tell the entire story of World War II in the Pacific Theater from Peal Harbor to the titular battle, and that means covering a great deal of ground from many different angles and a lot of moving parts. That means there's little time for things like character development, arcs, or in some cases, even introductions.

Woody Harrelson's Admiral Nimitz appears on screen and is handed command of the Navy, but he's not even given a name in his opening scene. It's not until a half drunken sailor shouts at him later that we learn who this guy is. Names like Nimitz and Halsey probably ring a bell if you've ever studied this period of world history, as they have bridges and buildings named after them. If you're already well versed in the history of World War II then you may know who many of these players are and how they all fit together, but it's essentially required that you have your own knowledge because Midway doesn't have time to stop and tell you who these people are.

That's a shame, because these are some pretty impressive people. Midway makes a point to tell you up front that the events of the film really happened, and what's mostly remarkable is how accurate the movie truly is. Many of the events portrayed in Midway, even some of the most dramatic aren't invented to make the movie more exciting, they really happened.

Midway’s immense and impressive cast, including Woody Harrelson and Aaron Eckhart, does well with what little each is given to do

And there are some great actors here playing those great people. It's a shame that we don't get to see more of them. Woody Harrelson is great in pretty much everything that he does, and he is just as great here... in the few scenes he has. Aaron Eckhart's role is blink and you'll miss it short. His character is never mentioned until the first scene where he appears an hour into the movie, and about 10 minutes later we're off to focus on other things. Little to none of it is bad, it's just entirely unsatisfying.

The other part of the movie that gets short changed is the entire Japanese side of the battle. For a movie which claims in the end to be dedicated to both sides of the Battle of Midway, the Japanese are, without question, the "bad guys" here. Once again, you're largely expected to already know why this war is even happening, because you certainly don't get any understanding from the Japanese perspective.

While more modern World War II movies have tended to take a more nuanced approach with the events, especially on the side of the war that didn't include actual Nazis, Midway feels like a bit of a throwback. The Americans are all (mostly) perfect heroes and the other side are the clear and obvious villains. There's little room for nuance here. It feels a bit more complex than a John Wayne World War II movie from the 1950s, but only just. Fans of those sorts of films will be right at home.

In the end, of course, this isn't designed to be a character driven story. Most of the characters of Midway aren't the ones who are making war, they're the ones war is happening to, and so the events of the story are what is driving them toward the event that movie is named for — and it drives them at a pretty good speed. While Midway is just short of two and a half hours long, there are only a couple of brief moments where you consider checking your watch.

Roland Emmerich’s skill as an action director shines through in Midway

And when we get there, yeah, The Battle of Midway is pretty impressive. Dogfights, dive bombers, submarines, battleships, everything comes together in a massive and impressive dance of bullets and explosions. The sound design and surround sound mix are top notch, making you feel like planes and bullets are all around you. Roland Emmerich knows how to make action spectacle.

Midway is likely going to be a movie that has trouble finding an audience. The further we get away from World War II the less it seems that there's a taste for films on the subject. Since the movie basically requires you to already have some working knowledge of the events, it seems quite likely that only history nuts and those that already love to consume mass amounts of World War II media are likely to be particularly excited for this one.

In short, if you want to take your grandfather to the movies, he's going to love Midway.

Three years ago, Independence Day: Resurgence arrived in theaters and followed humanity having to fight off another alien invasion two decades after the original Independence Day. Alas, Resurgence was a critical bomb and a box office disappointment, and Roland Emmerich, who directed both movies, has admitted it was a mistake to movie forward with Resurgence.

Roland Emmerich acknowledged during a recent interview that the main reason he decided to do Independence Day: Resurgence was because he wanted to “make a movie exactly like the first.” But things became complicated when Will Smith, who played Captain Steven Miller, one of Independence Day’s main characters, dropped out of Resurgence in order to play Deadshot in Suicide Squad. Emmerich continued:

So if Will Smith had stayed on Independence Day: Resurgence, maybe the original version of this sequel would have done gangbusters at the box office. But that’s not how things panned out, and in retrospect, Roland Emmerich believes he should have just set Resurgence aside after that setback rather than continue with a quickly-assembled, subpar script.

As Roland Emmerich also noted in his interview with Yahoo, he’s not a fan of sequels in general. The man has an extensive filmography that includes Stargate, 1998’s Godzilla, The Patriot and White House Down, but Independence Day: Resurgence marks the only time that he’s helmed a follow-up to one of this past movies, and the experience ultimately did not end well.

Independence Day: Resurgence featured a mix of characters returning from the original Independence Day, like Jeff Goldblum’s David Levinson and Bill Pullman’s Thomas J. Whitmore, and brand-new players, like Liam Hemsworth’s Jake Morrison and William Fichtner’s Joshua T. Adams. The events of Resurgence set the stage for a potential third movie that would see humanity heading into space to assault the homeworld of the antagonistic aliens, who were identified as “Harvesters.”

But if you think we’re getting Independence Day, you have another thing coming. Not only was Independence Day: Resurgence met with a lot of negative critical reception (it ranks at 29% among critics on Rotten Tomatoes), it only made $389.7 million worldwide off a $165 million budget.

Throw in the fact that the Independence Day property now rests at Disney due to the 20th Century Fox merger, unless there comes a time when the franchise is given the full reboot treatment, it’s reasonable to assume that it’s now a relic of film history. But maybe there’s an alternate universe out there where Roland Emmerich’s original take on Independence Day: Resurgence was released to the masses, and Independence Day 3 came out this past summer.

As for Roland Emmerich, his latest movie, the World War II tale Midway, arrives in theaters this Friday, November 8. Keep track of what else is coming out before the year is over with our 2019 release schedule.

Martin Scorsese lit the film community on fire recently when he was heavily critical of the superhero movie genre. Fans were outraged and defensive, and argued amongst themselves about his comments. It's quite the reaction, especially given that Scorsese is far from the first notable director to say something demeaning about Marvel or DC movies.

In fact, he's the latest of many big name directors who have found themselves under scrutiny for being candid about their views on superhero movies. Here are some of the takes from other notable directors, and interestingly enough, a few of these individuals have actually directed a superhero movie or two in the past.

Ridley Scott

Ridley Scott is an acclaimed filmmaker, Oscar nominee and someone who doesn't care all that much for the superhero genre. Apparently, he's been asked to do one a handful of times, but feels like he already did a movie in that vein with Blade Runner. I'm not sure I would consider Rick Deckard a superhero, but he can for sure take a punch!

What's funny is that Ridley Scott has dipped his toe in so many other genres and concepts that superhero films are one of the few remaining genres he has yet to touch. At 81, odds are we may never get to see a Ridley Scott-directed superhero film, which is somewhat disappointing, though he's given us plenty of other great movies to enjoy over the years. If superhero movies aren't his thing, who can fault him for not wanting to take part?

David Fincher

David Fincher hasn't been too keen on the world of superhero movies, but he definitely has one of the more mild takes of this bunch. The director has stated he wouldn't be opposed to making a superhero movie, though he followed it up with the fact he wouldn't do it for a previously established character. Translation: unless he's making an original hero, don't expect it to happen. Hey, at least he doesn't hate the genre entirely!

Some have speculated David Fincher's aversion to outfits like DC and Marvel comes from his experience on Aliens 3, which he has since disowned as a film due to studio interference and other things of that nature. Fincher probably wouldn't mesh well in the MCU (even if he likes the actors attached) then, considering he'd have to follow a pre-established plan for his film and highlight a previously established hero. He may surprise us one day by signing onto something, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

James Mangold

Logan and The Wolverine be damned, James Mangold has a problem with superhero films. Never mind the fact that he's been responsible for those two, and gave actor Hugh Jackman a phenomenal exit to his long-running role as Wolverine. Mangold just isn't a fan of superhero movies and we just need to accept that. How can a director of superhero films be actively against the idea of superhero films?

In his defense, James Mangold said it was his aversion to the tentpole structure of the genre that helped him make Logan. He didn't want to make an overtly long movie with a bloated cast, he wanted a meaningful arc with a conclusion. Typical superhero ensembles have character arcs that he described as being the equivalent of "Elmer Fudd in a Warner Bros. cartoon."

Tim Burton

Tim Burton wow'd audiences with Batman and Batman Returns, and he was involved in the never-released Superman Lives, but he's soured over the years on superhero movies. Burton went on the record in 2014 and credited Marvel for finding a successful formula, but noted he felt the premise was burning out. He also told Yahoo! Movies he was growing weary of the "damaged superhero," and wondered if Marvel couldn't do films on happy heroes.

He's not going to be the director to make that film though, as Burton stated earlier this year that he doesn't see himself doing another superhero movie. It just doesn't interest him anymore, which makes sense. He's been there, done that, and after Batman Returns, he doesn't really have anything left to prove in regards of proving he can do a superhero movie.

Roland Emmerich

To say Roland Emmerich was heavily critical of superhero films may be an understatement, as the director went on a tear about the genre while doing the press tour for Independence Day: Resurgence. Emmerich started out slow, saying he doesn't care much for the concept of superheroes in general. The capes and powers thing went over his head, which he said could be tied to his upbringing in Germany. Hey, superhero films aren't for everyone, it's understandable.

Or at least, it would've been, but then Emmerich suggested that superhero movies were all just copying what he did in Independence Day. Apparently, Emmerich believed that the teams behind Man of Steel and The Avengers saw aliens destroying buildings in his movie, and they decided to add it in their films. It was a bold and questionable claim, and the internet reacted accordingly. It turns out the masses didn't agree that the past 20 years of the genre was all because of his movie.

David Cronenberg

David Cronenberg is known for films that have been pretty out there in premise and execution, so it shouldn't be too surprising he isn't keen on the superhero genre. The director famously went on a rant about the genre in 2012, which many thought was a direct call out to Christopher Nolan and his recently released Batman flick The Dark Knight Rises. Cronenberg called Memento Nolan's best movie, and said his Batman movies are half as interesting.

Cronenberg later said his criticism was more meant to be taken for the genre as a whole and not to be a direct criticism of Nolan. Ironically, Cronenberg's comments came when he was promoting his Robert-Pattinson-led Cosmopolis. Will Cronenberg soften his thoughts on superhero films now that one of his former stars is playing Batman?

Martin Scorsese Clarifies Controversial Comments About Marvel Movies

When a director has something to say, CinemaBlend will be there to report on it. Stick with us for that and for the latest and greatest in movie and television news.

The story of Godzilla is a story that has been told numerous times by a wide variety of filmmakers from a wide variety of cultures. One of the most notorious Godzilla stories ever committed to film is Roland Emmerich's 1998 take on the giant reptile, which has since gone on to become known as one of the worst cinematic versions of Godzilla ever. On that note, Godzilla writer and producer Dean Devlin recently opened up and admitted that he thinks a significant reason Godzilla failed to make an impression on audiences was the attempt to imbue the lizard with moral ambiguity. Devlin explained:

There's definitely an attempt at something interesting and different for the Godzilla franchise in Dean Devlin's remarks to Syfy Wire. As the Geostorm director explained, while most incarnations of Godzilla are framed as hero or villain, the 1998 film did something different by steering clear of those ideas and treating Godzilla like an animal. In the end, audiences didn't respond to it, and a smart idea proved to be the film's downfall.

The failure of Godzilla has become well-known among many fans of the monster movie genre. The film only earned $136 million domestically against a $130 million production budget, and it was universally panned by critics, ranking at 12% on Rotten Tomatoes. Now we're left to wonder what could've been with a more traditional hero or villain take on the giant lizard.

Of course, the perceived failure of the 1998 Godzilla movie has not prevented Hollywood from returning to that iconic well to try again. The fire-breathing lizard returned to the big screen in 2014 with Gareth Edwards Godzilla, and that film kicked off the current MonsterVerse that continued with the premiere of Kong: Skull Island last year. Next on deck is Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and what we know about Michael Dougherty's sequel to Gareth Edwards' film tells us that the franchise will once again frame Godzilla as a hero when Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah appear.

CinemaBlend will keep you posted with updates related to the future of Godzilla on the big screen as more information related to the iconic monster becomes available to us. Make sure to catch Godzilla: King of the Monsters next year when the next MonsterVerse entry debuts on May 31, 2019! As for the rest of this year, you can check out our movie premiere guide to see what films are coming to theaters in 2018!

One of the more popular science fiction novels in 2016 was Dark Matter, the story written by Blake Crouch (author of the Wayward Pines trilogy) about a man who sees firsthand what his life would have been like had he traveled down a different path. Years before the novel was even released, Sony Pictures snatched up the movie rights, and now that the story has had enough time to be absorbed by readers, the studio is ready to make more progress on the Dark Matter book movie. For instance, the word is out that they're eyeing Independence Day director Roland Emmerich to helm it.

Roland Emmerich is in early talks to direct the Dark Matter movie, according to Deadline. Nothing is set in stone yet, but if a deal is worked out, we'll presumably learn about its finalization in the coming weeks. Matt Tolmach is still attached as a producer, but the production is nowhere near ready to start casting yet. Still, if Sony has their eye on Emmerich, then they're clearly ready to get the ball rolling now that the book has earned positive reaction and been nominated for/earned multiple honors.

When it comes to science fiction, Roland Emmerich is no slouch. His most notable movies from that genre include Stargate, Independence Day, Godzilla (the 1998 one) and Independence Day: Resurgence. Emmerich is already preparing to direct Moonfall, which he also co-wrote with Harold Kloser and Spencer Cohen, but now that the Stargate reboot is apparently dead, it seems that his schedule is freed up to tackle Dark Matter. That said, Dark Matter is a more intellectual tale, while Emmerich's fare usually values style over substance. If he is hired, let's pray to the heavens this movie isn't packed with unnecessary explosions and spectacle, because that's not what made Dark Matter an exciting read.

Warning: minor spoilers for the Dark Matter book are ahead!

The main character in Dark Matter's is a college physics professor named Jason Dessen, who is happily married and has a teenage son, but has also wondered on occasion what his life would have been like had he dedicated more time to his research and helped change the world with his discoveries. One night, he learns the answer when he is kidnapped by a masked man who asks him a simple question: "Are you happy with your life?" One weird drug injection later, Jason finds himself in a world where he is a celebrated genius, but he never married and his son was never born. However, Jason soon learns that just because this world is different doesn't mean it's perfect, and as he ends up in other alternate realities, it becomes all too clear how the smallest of decisions can change a person's life, for better or worse.

We'll keep you updated on Dark Matter's progress as more news comes in, but let us know what you thin of Roland Emmerich handling the cinematic adaptation in the comments below.

Stargate may not have achieved the same level of popularity as the Star-related movies of the Trek and Wars variety, but it remains a cult classic. Following that first tale, the franchise moved to television, but two years ago, director Roland Emmerich and writer/producer Dean Devlin announced plans to reboot the original movie as a fresh trilogy. Now Emmerich has revealed that the Stargate reboot probably won't be made due to unforeseen complications. He explained:

Roland Emmerich informed Empire that while there was originally a lot of enthusiasm to bring Stargate back to the big screen a little while back, it doesn't look like the reboot will move forward anymore. After the original Stargate movie was released in 1994, there were plans to release sequels, but they never came to fruition. By 2014, Emmerich realized that it was better to start from scratch and re-tell the Stargate tale for a new generation, but that's been put on ice.

Along with the "fire dying," Roland Emmerich attributed the modern moviemaking model as the reason for why the Stargate reboot fell through, specifically citing how he believe studios pay more attention to the "idea" of a movie rather than how it actually turns out. He continued:

While there may be some truth to what Roland Emmerich said, no doubt Independence Day: Resurgence critically bombing earlier this year didn't help matters. If that attempt at revisiting his other big sci-fi movie from the '90s was so poorly received, surely MGM doesn't want Stargate to share the same fate. Dean Devlin also noted in the Empire report that they made the original Stargate movie without a major studio backing them, but that same kind of freedom isn't available anymore.

With the Stargate movie reboot apparently dead (for now), maybe MGM should consider bringing the property back to television. Stargate SG-1 aired for 10 seasons and spawned the spinoffs Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe. After the latter concluded in 2011, the franchise has been in suspended animation. So if attempts to make a new movie series have stalled, bring in a new TV show, and rather than go the reboot route, have it take place in the same continuity with a brand new cast of characters. That's something worth considering.

What do you think of the Stargate reboot being axed? Were you looking forward to it or are you glad it's not happening? Let us know in the comments below.

Warning: Spoilers for Independence Day: Resurgence are in play. If you haven't seen the film yet, bookmark this page and come back once you've been briefed.

After 20 years of absence, Independence Day: Resurgence looked like more of a disaster in its profit picture than it did in the actual film itself. With just $41.6 million in domestic box office, the Roland Emmerich directed sequel failed to secure the top spot at a weakly competitive box office. So the fact that a second sequel has already been planned may seem a bit premature, though if you remember the ending Resurgence, you pretty much know where this is going. Should Independence Day 3 get the green light, it's going to be an interstellar voyage, in the name of unity.

Empire recently caught up with Emmerich, who was not only talking up the release of Independence Day: Resurgence, but also made a bold proclamation for the next potential entry in his apocalyptic canon. The following prospective synopsis was proposed for Independence Day 3:

This plotline is pretty much a given, considering Independence Day: Resurgence introduced, and closed with, a benevolent race of aliens making contact with humanity. Said race was one, of many, that found their planets ruined by the alien menace that kicked things off in Independence Day, only to form an alliance. Humanity has now been drafted into that alliance, which sees the surviving cast members of Independence Day: Resurgence leaving Earth to kick some alien ass.

Of course, the elephant in the room will be whether Independence Day: Resurgence can pull together the figures it needs to make a sequel look rewarding. With international grosses included, the film has grossed $143 million against a $165 million budget, which means breaking even might not be a problem.

But making a decent enough profit to justify a sequel is something that might not be as daunting in the coming weekends. While _The BFG _and _The Purge: Election Year_ are tracking weakly during their opening frame, there's a chance that Fox's latest would-be blockbuster could maintain a solid top 5 presence, further bolstered by the superior showing the film has had in international markets.

There's a lot of woulds and coulds that are in play at the moment, but Independence Day: Resurgence is in theaters now, and waiting for its potential audience to find it.

Director Roland Emmerich is no stranger to creating science fiction stories. In addition to movies like Stargate and The Day After Tomorrow, his latest movie, Independence Day: Resurgence, brings him back to the world he created 20 years earlier in Independence Day. The sequel, which features even more aliens and bombastic action, has been out for a couple days internationally, but so far it hasn't a good impression, earning mixed-to-negative reviews and drawing in only $4 million in Thursday night U.S. screenings. Despite the subpar reception, Emmerich is already moving onto another sci-fi movie, titled Moonfall.

It was reported today by Deadline that Moonfall will be distributed by Universal Pictures, with the studio apparently dropping "seven figures" to acquire the spec script. Roland Emmerich wrote the script with Harold Kloser (who he's worked with on seven previous movies) and Extinction scribe Spencer Cohen. As expected, Emmerich will direct the movie, which is aiming for a "fast tracked" release, while Kloser will produce. Described as his 2012 movie meeting Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, Moonfall will follow an "unlikely band of misfits" who must work together to save humanity when the Moon's orbit breaks and it heads on a crash course for Earth. Yep, that sounds about right for an Emmerich sci-fi movie.

Roland Emmerich has directed movies across several genres over decades, from historical pieces like The Patriot to fantasy epics like 10,000 BC, but science fiction has been his bread and butter. Actually, let me clarify: outlandish sci fi is what he loves to feed the audience in his movies. Moonfall definitely sounds like it will follow a similar path as the Independence Day movies, where everyday folks will have to work together to prevent a freak occurrence from killing everyone. This time, it's our Moon that's causing all the pandemonium. No doubt Neil deGrasse Tyson and other scientists will have some choice words about Moonfall's scientific accuracy, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Looking back on Roland Emmerich's more recent blockbusters, they haven't been critical darlings, but they've drawn in a lot of money. While we can't say for sure if Moonfall will experience the same fate, it's practically guaranteed that like Emmerich's other sci-fi movies, there will be plenty of explosions and property damage across two hours. This, along with the Stargate reboot, gives Emmerich a full slate when it comes to sci-fi material in the near future.

Moonfall hasn't been assigned a release date yet, but we'll keep you updated on its progress as more information trickles through. In the meantime, let us know what you think about Roland Emmerich's next movie in the comments below.

Based on global box office numbers, it's no major stretch to say that people love superhero movies. However, that doesn't mean that everybody loves superhero movies. Independence Day director Roland Emmerich is not a fan. He's really not a fan. He's come out for the second time in as many days to bash the entire genre. This time, he's focusing on the fact that he believes they're all trying to steal his gimmick.

20 years ago Roland Emmerich began what would become a series of films that included large set pieces of the world being destroyed. Some of Independence Day's most memorable scenes are the ones in which major landmarks, like the White House or the Empire State Building, were blown up by aliens. In an interview with Loaded, the director, about to make his return with Independence Day: Resurgence, says that he's seeing something very familiar in the modern superhero movie trend.

While many people, fans and critics alike have taken issue with some aspects of superhero movies, like the amount of wanton destruction that has taken place in the DCEU, we can't remember anybody who complained about it because they thought the movie was just trying to ape Roland Emmerich. While it is true that between ID4, The Day After Tomorrow, Godzilla, and 2012 the director has carved out a niche when it comes to movies in which large parts of the planet explode, he's hardly the first one to make a disaster movie. Also, we feel compelled to point out that, while it wasn't destroyed, the White House was significantly trashed by aliens in Superman II back in 1981.

Roland Emmerich might not be so harsh to superhero movies if he didn't already make it clear that he just doesn't get it. A couple of days ago the director said he simply didn't like movies where people ran around in capes and masks, claiming that superheroes were simply not popular when he grew up in Germany, so he wasn't exposed to them for his entire life the way so many were.

In the end, Roland Emmerich and comic book fans will simply have to agree to disagree. It's clear that the genre can do little to make him happy.

Do you think the Marvel and DC movies are stealing their ideas from Independence Day? Let us know your thoughts below.

It's no secret that superhero movies are all the rage right now. 10 years ago, fans would be lucky to get just one of these blockbusters a year, but nowadays, there's multiple coming out from several studios, guaranteeing a healthy spread throughout each year. However, despite their popularity, these superpowered stories aren't everyone's cup of tea. One of the detractors of the genre out there is Independence Day director Roland Emmerich, who doesn't understand the appeal it has among the masses.

During an extensive interview with The Guardian, Emmerich expressed his "disdain" with the superhero movie genre, specifically with their costumes, capes, masks, etc. As he put it:

It's pretty clear that Roland Emmerich doesn't care for the flashiness inherent in almost every superhero movie and their protagonists. He prefers to have the everyman at the center of this stories, i.e. the individual who is thrust into a crazy adventure. In contrast, superhero movies place exceptional individuals on a pedestal, whether they've been like that the whole time or were made that way through extraordinary circumstances. That's the nature of the business.

As for the costumes, well, that's just something inherent in most stories from this genre. After all, these heroes need to wear something that either protects their identity or makes them a recognizable symbol when battling the bad guys. Oh sure, the colors can be a bit much at times, but they're part of the charm. Maybe if Emmerich picked up some comic books in Germany when he was a lad, he might have a different opinion, but that's not a guarantee. It's also worth pointing out that if he doesn't like people in capes, he probably doesn't care for stage magicians, either.

While Roland Emmerich is entitled to his opinion regarding superhero movies, they're blockbuster powerhouses that show no sign of stopping anytime soon. In addition to the "Marvel movies," whether they're from the main studio or 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros is also building their own DC Comics cinematic universe. All these entries, combined with other upcoming movies like Power Rangers and The Incredibles 2, mean that the genre is covered plentifully in theaters for the near future. If they aren't your thing, go to Emmerich for the sci-fi and disaster movies, along with the occasional historic tale.

You can catch Roland Emmerich's latest movie, Independence Day: Resurgence, in theaters this Friday, June 24.

Roland Emmerich makes movies that demand to be seen on the big screen. Not just a big screen. The biggest screen possible. From the monumental explosions of Independence Day (pun intended) to the planet-rattling chaos of 2012 and The Day After Tomorrow, Emmerich specializes in sequences that fill every inch of the screen with practical and digital madness. Which is exactly why Jeff Goldblum plans to see his latest collaboration with Emmerich -- Independence Day: Resurgence -- in a theater, with a paying crowd, to appreciate how they react to the insanity.

Late last year, I was lucky enough to travel to New Mexico and watch Emmerich at work on the set of Independence Day: Resurgence. It looked like a massive undertaking, and I peppered the cast with questions about the process of working on such an epic blockbuster. Jeff Goldblum, over the course of one of his answers, talked about the joy of seeing one of Emmerich's movies with a crowd, and told me the following reason why he plans to sneak in while the movie's playing and enjoy it with a public audience:

If you can believe it, during that last bit of his answer, Jeff Goldblum actually pantomimed himself eating popcorn, surrounded by an audience as they enjoyed Independence Day: Resurgence together. This is only part of his incredible explanation of the joy of working with Roland Emmerich, so you really have to watch the above clip to get the Full Goldblum, as I now like to call it.

Roland Emmerich's Independence Day: Resurgence takes place 20 years after the original film. Humanity is using alien tech acquired from our original encounter with the intergalactic species to bolster our planet's defense systems. Only, the aliens are back... and they are better prepared. Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Vivica A. Fox, Judd Hirsch and Brent Spiner reprise their original roles in the sequel, joining newcomers Liam Hemsworth, Maika Monroe, Joey King, Sela Ward, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Jessie T. Usher. The movie will be in theaters on June 24. And if you go on opening weekend, look around. You might be sitting next to a wide-eyed Jeff Goldblum. Tell him we said hello.

Independence Day: Resurgence has been 20 years in the making. In fact, when it finally hits cinemas on June 24, it will be just under two decades exactly since Independence Day was originally released. Director and co-writer Roland Emmerich has now opened up about why it’s taken so long for the follow-up to come to fruition, admitting that he was just waiting for cinematic technology to catch-up with his vision.

Roland Emmerich made this admission while talking to io9 ahead of Independence Day: Resurgence’s release, explaining that the sheer size of his proposed alien ship (it’s as big as the Atlantic Ocean) had always been too ambitious for the previously puny cinematic technology.

20th Century Fox have probably been asking for an Independence Day sequel ever since the original smashed into and pulverized the zeitgeist back in 1996, becoming the highest grossing film of the year as it took in $817.4 million. At the time that left it the second highest-grossing film ever made, with only Jurassic Park topping its total. 

This success provoked a spate of other big-budgeted disaster films from Hollywood studios, while 20th Century Fox soon started asking Roland Emmerich for ideas regarding Independence Day 2. But the German soon realized that his plans were so enormous that he’d have to wait for cinema to catch up with him.

By 2009 it finally had, something that Roland Emmerich realized while working on another disaster film, 2012. The filmmaker came to the conclusion that through the use of digital cameras and an abundance of blue-screen, he could finally create the Independence Day sequel that he’d dreamed up. The trailers for which prove that it is much bigger in scale than the original. 

But the question now is will Independence Day: Resurgence be able to match the original film’s appeal even though it was released over 20 years ago? Its trailers have done a good job of proving that it’s a substantial upgrade to its predecessor, while the return of Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, Vivica A. Fox, and Brent Spiner, as well as Roland Emmerich himself, means it should have enough similarities to its predecessor to entice viewers, too.

But the summer slate is now much fuller than it was in 1996, and 20th Century Fox will be slightly sweating having spent $200 million on the blockbuster. They’ll get to see if they get a return on their investment when Independence Day: Resurgence is released on June 24, 2016.  

As anyone who has seen any of his films can attest, director Roland Emmerich really loves blowing up famous landmarks. Over the course of his career, he has not only blown up locations like The Hollywood Sign, the U.S. Capitol Building and the Statue of Liberty, but he has even gone as far as to destroy The White House and other famous places multiple times. Audiences will be able to see more of this blockbuster fun in the upcoming Independence Day: Resurgence, but what the movie also happens to come with is a great bit of improvised dialogue from Jeff Goldblum, mocking his director’s tendency to annihilate well-known monuments.

Today, 20th Century Fox brought a special reel from Independence Day: Resurgence to their presentation at CinemaCon – the annual convention held in Las Vegas for theater owners – and during one particular scene of epic destruction, the line that brought the house down was Jeff Goldblum’s David Levinson looking out the window of a futuristic ship and saying, "They love to get the landmarks!" Following the event, I had the wonderful opportunity to sit down with Goldblum and co-star Brent Spiner, and it was during our talk that the Jurassic Park star revealed that the great line was actually his own invention. Said Goldblum,

In case you’re unfamiliar with just how much Roland Emmerich loves to destroy famous landmarks, you may want to watch the super-cut below – because it will certainly help you appreciate Jeff Goldblum’s bit of Independence Day: Resurgence improv a bit more:

The original Independence Day certainly featured a whole lot of major destruction, but from what Jeff Goldblum described, the upcoming sequel should really take all of that to a whole new level. And it does make sense when you consider the fact that the aliens who were defeated in the first movie have brought serious reinforcements to planet Earth for round two. It’s hard to say exactly how the world will survive the attack, as a gravity beam that can pick up and drop cities sounds like too much weapon for humanity to handle, but we have to believe that our heroes will find some way to win the day.

Independence Day: Resurgence will be in theaters on June 24th.

Almost immediately after Independence Day became the poster child for summer blockbusters back in 1996, the studio was clamoring for a sequel, and the audience was right behind them. Yet for years after a ragtag band of politicians and military strategists saved our planet from total annihilation, no movement was made on returning to the world Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin created as their follow-up to the immensely popular Stargate. With a 3D re-release originally scheduled for 2013 being the only chance of seeing some prime ET ass being whupped, the film's legacy looked to be relegated strictly to the halls of nostalgia.

Then, in a flurry of activity that took place mostly in the past couple of years, Independence Day: Resurgence was born! The franchise was given new life, and with some serious thought into not just one, but multiple entries. For now, though, we've only got one sequel to anticipate, but already there's enough information out there to have us asking questions about how the world has changed in the 20 years after defeating those "alien assholes," and whether we'll be celebrating out Independence Day, or mourning it. Here's what we know so far about Independence Day: Resurgence, starting with the first trailer as shown below.

So what information has been released about Independence Day: Resurgence so far, and what’s been rumored about the film? Read on to find out!

The Director

In the years since Independence Day, Roland Emmerich has become a bit of an infamous figure in Hollywood. This is mostly due to his immediately following up his 1996 sci-fi blockbuster with one of the most panned films of the 1990's: his remake of Godzilla. Most recently, Emmerich was the force behind such films as The Day After Tomorrow, 2012, and White House Down - so you could debate his reputation in Hollywood as falling on either side of the spectrum. Strangely enough, Roland Emmerich waited so long to make an Independence Day sequel because he was afraid that making the film during the Bush Administration would only serve to further glorify those in power, as he felt the series was about, "a king who leads his country into a fight against an outside invader." No word yet on if the White House will yet again be destroyed, but never say never.

The Story

Twenty years after what's been universally dubbed "The War of 1996," humanity is about to be visited by another wave of alien invaders. With David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) working closely with the Earth Space Defense (ESD) organization in the decades after the first invasion, our species has adapted our own lives and defenses with reverse engineered technology from the first round of hostilities. The world has formed one massive global alliance, and peace has reigned in the ensuing ground war to clear out the straggling alien inhabitants left over since initial invasion. Throughout those years, Levinson was always convinced that the extraterrestrial forces would be back, and sure enough – those strangers from the depths of space are re-emerging in our corner of space, ready for more hostilities. Originally planned as a multi-part sequel, entitled ID Forever, the film was renamed and consolidated into one entry - Independence Day: Resurgence.

Captain Steven Hiller And His Family

After serving as a fighter pilot during the massive air campaigns waged on the alien invaders during The War of 1996, Captain Steven Hiller (Will Smith) was promoted to the rank of Colonel and began working with the Earth Space Defense organization. With the ESD working heavily in enriching our existing technology with that of our would-be destroyers, Col. Hiller was at the front line of testing said technologies, which lead to his untimely demise during the test flight of a hybrid fighter in 2007.

He was survived by his wife Jasmine, played once again by Vivica A. Fox in Independence Day: Resurgence, who went on to become a hospital administrator in the ensuing years after the global crisis; as well as his step-son Dylan (now played by Jessie Usher,) who looks to have joined the ESD, just like his step-dad before him. The reason for killing off Will Smith’s iconic character from the original film has something to do with an agreement not being reached between himself and the studio, and the eventuality was prepared for with two separate drafts of the script. Needless to say, Smith was not too pleased when he found out his character was killed off, but if he changes his tune for any prospective sequels, it shouldn’t be too hard to re-write him into the picture.

President Whitmore And His Family

During the events of the War of 1996, President James Whitmore became a battle tested leader, despite his critics having no faith in his ability to lead pre-invasion. Unfortunately, President Whitmore also lost his wife, and encountered an event where for a brief moment, a previously captured alien created a telepathic link between itself and the world leader. After humanity won the day, President Whitmore and his daughter, Patricia, became a part of living history. In particular, the former Commander in Chief was instrumental to the global talks that eventually created the Earth Space Defense organization.

But the past has come calling for James Whitmore, as he apparently still has a mental link with the aliens that came 20 years ago. Not much is known about what's been going on in Patricia’s life by the time Independence Day: Resurgence rolls around, but we do know that It Follows star Maika Monroe is filling the role, after a heated casting process that somehow left out the original actor to play the role - The DUFF’s Mae Whitman. Returning to play President Whitmore is Bill Pullman, who was last seen in the R-rated comedy/thriller American Ultra.

David Levinson

When The War of 1996 hit, David Levinson was nothing more than a "cable repair man," working tech for a New York service provider. His genius exceeded what was needed for such a lowly position, and it showed when he was not only the singular person to isolate the alien signal, he also pointed out that it was a countdown to an eventual attack. Sealing humanity’s victory against the alien scourge by implanting a computer virus into one of the alien control ships, Levinson’s mind saved the world.

All of this paved the way for his eventual position as the director of the Earth Space Defense organization, which gave him free reign to design the future of human technology. This was mostly done through harnessing the weapons of destruction that were once used in an attempt to wipe us out. Bringing his legendary character to live once again for Independence Day: Resurgence is Jeff Goldblum, who has recently been seen in Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel and Mortdecai.

Jake Morrison

The War of 1996 took its toll on the world, leaving cities devastated and families torn apart. One such victim of the alien invasion’s devastation was Jake Morrison, former fighter pilot / hot dog flying ace. Morrison lost his parents during the first incursion into Earth’s atmosphere, leaving him to grow up an orphan who would originally pursue a career in the military. Being the show-off that he is, Jake made a call so bad that he was banished to the Earth Science Defense’s Moon Base, where he drives a space forklift known as "The Moon Tug." Jake is a new character to the line-up of Independence Day: Resurgence, and is played by action star Liam Hemsworth, who we most recently star in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part II. Not only will we get to see Jake interacting with David Levinson in a particularly tense looking sequence, but it’s also been heavily suspected that Patricia Whitmore is pretty much Jake’s love interest in the long awaited sequel.

Dr. Brakish Okun

We’d always suspected that Area 51 held the greatest secrets when it came to the existence of alien life, and sure enough we were right. During the events of the War of 1996, President Whitmore and his party were made privy to the secrets of the top secret installation by the eccentric Dr. Brakish Okun. A lead researcher at the infamous military site, Dr. Okun was presumably killed after an alien he was dissecting became re-animated, using him as a mouthpiece to speak with humanity. As luck would have it, the good doctor did not die, rather he was in a coma for some time - leaving him to return to the aid of humanity in its darkest hour. Returning to play one of his craziest roles yet in Independence Day: Resurgence is venerated sci-fi actor Brent Spiner. Recently seen re-teaming with Patrick Stewart in the Starz comedy Blunt Talk, we can only imagine what Spiner’s character is going to be like after having an extremely close encounter with an alien, and living to tell the tale.

Julius Levinson

While his son David may be book smart, Julius Levinson doesn’t resist a chance to set his son straight when he needs to. A wise, if not cranky, old man, Julius loves playing chess and trying to help his son fix his life up a bit, and he’s not afraid to quote John Lennon for the cause. Julius evacuated New York with his son during the War of 1996, and stuck beside him throughout the journey - no matter how airsick his child had gotten. Julius may not be a warrior in the traditional sense, but he surely knows how to brighten the mood and calm a room that’s about to get out of control. Without Judd Hirsch playing the role of Julius, as he did in the previous film, Independence Day: Resurgence would have no business including his character in the proceedings. Thankfully, both Hirsch and his sage comedic relief will help us through another round of prayer.

The Aliens

When you bust in on an inferior race, guns blazing and your enemy confused, surely you think you’ve got the day won, right? Wrong, my extraterrestrial friend, as the aliens who sparked the War of 1996 not only failed to secure the planet they lusted after from afar, they lost almost their entire advance party in the process. We say almost because as the history of the world after their defeat will tell you, some aliens survived for around a decade after their initial attack - only to slowly be cleared out. Of course, when you lose a scouting team to a punk fighter pilot and an egghead computer whiz, you’re naturally going to send another team - which is what our unnamed alien race from Independence Day have done in the name of the story for Independence Day: Resurgence. With a bigger ship, and undoubtedly tougher, more advanced defenses - it’s going to be much harder to whoop ET’s ass this time around - especially since Earth has run out of Randy Quaids to throw at them.

President Lanford

In every Roland Emmerich film that features a president (and if you’re keeping score that’s a whole bunch of them), the world leader reflects a usually progressive viewpoint that either syncs up with the modern world, or puts it ahead of its time. President Lanford is the latest in Emmerich’s collection of Commanders in Chief, and she’s the first female United States president in history. Overseeing the United States in Independence Day: Resurgence’s version of 2016, President Lanford may be a leader in a brave new world, but she’s going to need some advice from heroes of the past in order to defeat this revisiting menace. Reuniting with Emmerich after her role in 2004’s The Day After Tomorrow, Sela Ward has gone from being a doctor to being president in 12 years, with a couple exciting stops along the way. Most notably, Ward played television personality Sharon Schieber in David Fincher’s adaptation of Gone Girl, as well as landing gigs on shows like House, M.D. and CSI: NY.

The aliens are back… and they looked super pissed. Twenty years after the citizens of Earth foiled the plans of an invading extraterrestrial force, a new battalion of conquering beings are coming back for revenge in Independence Day: Resurgence. The first full trailer for the upcoming sequel just dropped. Watch it now!

The aliens aren’t the only ones returning. Original Independence Day director Roland Emmerich is back in the chair for the sequel, which is set 20 years after the first movie took place. And he managed to bring most of his Independence Day cast back for the second chapter. Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman are the towering leads. Judd Hirsch will bring comic relief, while Vivica A. Fox and Brent Spiner are a backbone of support. But you’ll notice that Will Smith isn’t back this time. Instead, he has been replaced by blasts of new blood in the form of Liam Hemsworth, Jessie Usher, Maika Monroe and the great Sela Ward.

The trailer, shared via Uproxx, puts a lot of emphasis on Jeff Goldblum's original character, David, who acknowledges that the our government used the alien technology acquired from the first movie to increase our defense systems and weaponry. But then he drops the ominous analysis that, after 20 years, it won't be enough.

The special effects in the new Independence Day: Resurgence trailer looks insanely good, a huge improvement over the previous movie... though they were good, for their time. The aliens are coming back with a much larger force this time, and the new trailer suggests a few of the ways that Roland Emmerich will look to increase the scope of this sequel. For example, we'll see Liam Hemsworth and Jeff Goldblum ON THE MOON!

"It's definitely bigger than the last one." Great last line by Goldblum, with the perfect delivery by the ever-dry comedian.

Independence Day: Resurgence storms into theaters on June 24, 2016. What did you think of the trailer?

Roland Emmerich’s Stonewall has incited an uproar from the LGBT community. The film, which describes itself as a retelling of the famous Stonewall riots that sparked the gay rights revolution in 1969, changed the story dramatically in multiple ways, including: (1) focusing on a fictionalized white, straight-acting male named Danny; (2) combining multiple historic figures into one, and; (3) downplaying some of the prominent trans figures of color who were at the forefront of this moment in history.

I spoke with Roland Emmerich during the press junket for the film, and he gave a more in-depth explanation behind these vital changes. He began,

As I wrote about in my review of the film, this is true to some extent. Many people who were actually on the ground during the riots are unknown or have passed — some because of complications with AIDS. Then there are the many unconfirmed and "urban legends," if you will, as to why the riots got started. One states that the gay community was so overcome by the death of icon Judy Garland that when the police came to raid the bar they fought back. To that extent, Emmerich said,

However, there are a few moments that are difficult to ignore, especially the portrayal of Marsha P. Johnson, a trans woman of color who was much more involved in the actual riots than the film lets on. During the interview, I brought up a specific scene cited by critics in which a black street youth takes out a brick with the intention of throwing it. Danny (Jeremy Irvine’s character), however, takes the brick away and throws it to ignite the revolution himself.

Emmerich said,

In light of the growing controversy over the "whitewashing" of history, the director released a statement following the trailer’s release. Published to his Facebook page, it read in part:

Roland Emmerich told me during our interview that he still stands by this statement, even in light of harsh reviews coming from the Toronto International Film Festival, where it premiered, and subsequent press screenings that have questioned some of Emmerich's changes. Unfortunately for Emmerich, this backlash doesn't appear to be going away, especially not after comments he gave to BuzzFeed about the issue. During that interview, he said he made the film "also for straight people," and through test screenings found that Danny "is a very easy in" for heterosexual audience members because the character is "very straight-acting."

However, when I asked Roland Emmerich why he chose to center the story around Danny, he said,

Stonewall will hit theaters this Friday.

Roland Emmerich recently announced the end of filming on his long-planned Independence Day 2, subtitled Resurgence. The director had been shooting in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and he commemorating the wrap with a photo of a double rainbow. So, when will fans get to see the first footage of this highly anticipated film?

I spoke to the director for his latest film, Stonewall, about the homeless LGBT youth of NYC during the historic Stonewall Riots. Towards the end of our conversation (of which you'll hear more in the coming days), I asked whether or not we would get an Independence Day 2 trailer by the end of the year. While the first trailer was initially rumored to drop on Independence Day, it did not, and he replied:

Independence Day: Resurgence picks up years after the first film, which starred Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum. Though Smith will not appear in this film, Goldblum will, and he'll do so in a world where the government is using scrap alien technology to create a new line of defense in case of any future alien invasions. Unfortunately for them, they're still left ill-equipped to handle the second alien incursion, and the fate of Earth is once again left in the hands of a small group of brave men and women.

Emmerich, joined by his cast, announced the title and first plot details for the film at a special press conference held at the film's set. During this time, the filmmaker also showed off the film's new spacecraft, The Moon Tug.

Emmerich continued:

In addition to Goldblum, the cast includes the returning Vivica A. Fox and Bill Pullman, as well as newcomers Liam Hemsworth (Hunger Games), Joey King (White House Down, Stonewall), William Fichtner (TMNT), Charlotte Gainsbourg (Nymphomaniac), Sela Ward (Gone Girl), Maika Monroe (The Guest), and Jessie Usher (When the Game Stands Tall).

Independence Day 2 is scheduled to hit theaters on June 24, 2016. According to Emmerich, there are no reshoots planned for it right now, he's done. Meanwhile, Stonewall starring Jeremy Irvine, Jonny Beauchamp, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Ron Perlman, Joey King, and Caleb Landry Jones premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival late last week. It drops into theaters this coming weekend.

Roland Emmerich’s upcoming Stonewall—a film that tells a fictionalized story of the Stonewall Riots in 1969, which many consider the beginning of the modern gay rights movement—was intended to be the openly gay filmmaker’s tribute to a pivotal, important event. Instead, the first trailer sparked a storm of controversy, including a proposed boycott, and the film is being accused of whitewashing history. Now Emmerich has responded to the criticism.

In the late 1960s, the Stonewall Inn became an infamous gay hangout in New York City. It was subject to regular and brutal police raids and the patrons to harassment, and after being pushed too far, one night the patrons fought back and galvanized a community. Many of the real-life individuals involved in the movement and this incident were transgender people and people of color, typically the most marginalized members of the LGBTQ community. The issue is that, instead of focusing on the people who were there, Stonewall revolves around a fictional young, handsome white man from the Midwest. Emmerich released a statement on Facebook responding to the complains, saying:

Though the crowd scenes in the trailer represent the racial diversity of patrons at the Stonewall, and in the uprising, but this Midwestern kid is shown in an inciting role. Credit for actually sparking the riot is, unlike what we see in the trailer, given to a number of different minority players. There are the likes of Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, a transgender woman who refused to show police officers ID and got a broken jaw for her stance; Storme DeLaverie, an African-American lesbian who threw the first punch, and is often cited as the Rosa Parks of the gay community; and Sylvia Rivera, who Emmerich mentions, a 17-year-old Puerto Rican drag queen who was fed up with the constant harassment.

The apparent pushing of these key figures, as well as many more, into the background to focus instead on Danny Winters (English actor Jeremy Irvine), a made up white kid, does not sit particularly well with many activists and advocates in the LGBTQ community. A online petition to boycott the film that already has more than 15,000 signatures reads:

Elsewhere in Emmerich’s statement, he talks about how part of his desire to make Stonewall was to shine a light on the circumstances that lead to such high rates of homelessness among LGBT youth, and how there has been little change in the causes and numbers in the 46 years between Stonewall and today. He hoped to dramatize that struggle by telling the story of a young gay man from the American heartland who is kicked out of his home for his sexuality, finally finds a place to belong, and becomes a part of the events leading up to the night of June 28, 1969.

To be honest, while Roland Emmerich’s intentions sound earnest, this comes across like a bland movie that has already been seen in one form or another many times before. It’s hard not to be disappointed when the real story and the real people involved are already have super interesting, dramatic, not to mention unique narratives that could have made for an incredible film.

We’ll see how this plays out between now and when Stonewall hits theaters on September 25.

It’s only been a couple of days since the first trailer for Stonewall was released, but already people are calling for boycotts. Among the LGBT community there is a feeling, based on the trailer, that the film will do a poor job depicting the Stonewall Riots and the events that led up to them.

The issue, as summarized by The Hollywood Reporter, is this: The Stonewall Inn was a haven and hang out for everybody within the LGBTQ community, however, the trailer looks awfully white - as well as awfully cis male. A large contingent of the people involved in the events the film depicts were transgender women and people of color. While these people are not completely absent from the trailer, they are certainly in the background. This has led activists to accuse the film of whitewashing history and making white people the heroes of a story where they do not deserve that role. There are now a number of petitions and demands for boycotts going around the internet. The Gay Straight Alliance Network petition has over 11,000 signatures at the time of this article’s publication.

Jeremy Irvine stars in the film as "Danny," a fictionalized character, while the real life activists of the time, like Marsha P. Johnson and Ray Castro look to be relegated to supporting roles. For his part, Irvine says that the story is driven by Jonny Beauchamp’s role as Castro. The film also stars Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Ron Perlman

Director Roland Emmerich took to Facebook to defend the film. According to him, the final film will honor all of the people who began the struggle for gay civil rights, including those not seen in the trailer. You can read his message below:

If Emmerich is to be believed, it’s possible that this is just a poorly put together trailer and not actually a whitewashed movie. Of course, Emmerich may or may not have been directly involved in cutting the preview. Some directors take that level of control while many leave things like trailers to other people. He’s not taking responsibility for it, which he might do if he was shepherding the edit. He’s not throwing anybody under the bus either, but he likely wouldn’t do that, even if he could..

While films that try to tell the story of real events always take some liberties with the subject matter, this particular subject is still sensitive for a lot of people because gay and transgender people are still dealing with the discrimination that the Stonewall Riots brought out of the shadows. Stonewall is a movie that was never going to avoid controversy. In fact, that’s kind of the point. Stonewall hits theaters September 25th.

Powerful and incendiary Almost every progressive social movement has a moment in its history that later generations look back on as a catalyst, as an incident that sparked action, incited awareness, and created push forward; a moment that is looked at as the beginning. For the gay rights movement, that was the 1969 Stonewall Riot. Roland Emmerich’s new movie Stonewall dramatizes the events surrounding this incident, and there’s now a powerful, incendiary new trailer to check out.

Stonewall tells the story of Danny Winters (Jeremy Irvine, War Horse), a fictional character who gets kicked out of his family home in the middle of the American heartland for being gay. He leaves his friends and family and old life behind and moves to New York where he falls in with the crowd of Greenwich Village street kids who hang out at a local dive called The Stonewall Inn.

The Stonewall was a shady, mafia-run joint that became a de facto gay club, frequented by the poorest, most marginalized segments of the LGBTQ community, including drag queens, male prostitutes, transgender people, and more. As was the case at the time, it was subject to frequent raids from the police, and from what we see in this trailer, Stonewall looks to dramatize the discrimination, harassment, and atrocities they endured. Their frustration and anger builds in Danny and his friends until one day, early in the morning on June 28, 1969, tensions spontaneously erupted into what is considered by many the most definitive moment in the modern gay liberation movement.

The real story is so powerful and moving and important, not to mention super interesting, that you have to hope that it doesn’t fall into a stereotypical "small town kid comes to the big city" narrative. Clocking in at just over two minutes, this trailer is quite stirring in its depiction of social injustice, so hopefully Stonewall gets the movie it deserves.

Working on a movie this size is something a bit different for Roland Emmerich, who his most known for his large-scale disaster epics like Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, and 2012. As you can see, he does have the opportunity to indulge his more destructive cinematic impulses here, but with a reported budget of $12-14 million, this probably cost roughly the same as the catering on a movie like Independence Day: Resurgence.

Written by Jon Robin Baitz (The Slap), and starring Jeremy Irvine, Jonny Beauchamp (Penny Dreadful), Jonathan Rhys Meyers (The Tudors), Ron Perlman (Hellboy), Joey King (White House Down), and Caleb Landry Jones (X-Men: First Class), Stonewall hits theaters on September 25.

If you’ve been holding off seeing Terminator: Genisys, you may have an added incentive to make the trek to theaters on July 4. According to some reports, a short first teaser trailer for the newly titled Independence Day: Resurgence will play before Genisys screenings this weekend. Here’s the catch, this will happen only on July 4.

AICN was the first to report this, though Slashfilm later contacted an AMC theater and were also told that this is happening. It’s pretty early in the going, as Independence Day: Resurgence isn’t slated to hit theaters for just under a year, but with the holiday, it’s perfect timing to do something. The biggest question is, what exactly will you see? And is it worth a trip to the theater, especially if you’ve already seen the latest Terminator movie? It’s also strange that the studio wouldn’t make a bigger deal out of this.

Director Roland Emmerich and company are currently filming in New Mexico. In fact, a bunch of members of the press, including one of our own, were recently invited to the set to check it out and get the lay of the land. That’s where, just a short while back, 20th Century Fox revealed the new title, as well as a short introductory video that is little more than the title and a logo. But like I said, they are filming, so it’s possible they whipped up a quick little teaser just to create buzz around the long-in-the-works sequel—it will, after all, be 20 years since the 1996 original, so any hype they can muster will only serve them well in the end.

According to AICN the teaser is 35 seconds long, while Slashfilm heard that it’s 37 seconds. The title reveal video clocks in at 24 seconds. Some have posited that, should you add one of those green MPAA cards in front of this, the runtime could be about 37 seconds, which has led to the theory that you might only see this video up on screen, which would certainly be a let down, especially if you made a trip specifically for this reason.

What was revealed is literally just the logo for most of the 24 seconds. They could pretty it up some with music and maybe a release date at the end, but still more than half the clip is just the logo sitting perfectly still, in total silence. That’s not particularly interesting to anyone. Hopefully, if Fox went through the effort of releasing a teaser into theaters, no matter how brief or for how limited a run, they’ll do something more interesting than this. The whole point is to make people want to see your movie, and that isn’t going to pique anyone’s interest.

Sure, for those people who didn’t already know this is happening, which is going to be a sizeable chunk of your casual moviegoers, it’ll let them know Independence Day: Resurgence is happening, but that’s it. Even if they take this, add some music, and maybe throw in a single clip at the end, say of Jeff Goldblum’s David Levinson or one of those new ships, that at least would be something.

Independence Day: Resurgence picks up 20 years after the events of the first film. Using technology recovered from the initial invasion, which turns out was basically just a scouting party, Earth has created a sprawling defense program in anticipation of another visit from our angry space neighbors. But when they show up, nothing can prepare us for their new weapons and unprecedented show of force they bring with them. Like last time, it’s up to a few ingenious, brave men and women to save the day and stave off extinction one more time.

Starring Jeff Goldblum, Jessie Usher, Maika Monroe, Liam Hemsworth, Sela Ward, Bill Pullman, Joey King, Charlotte Gainsbourg, William Fichtner, and Many More, Independence Day: Resurgence opens everywhere June 24, 2016.

Jeff Goldblum is back. Bill Pullman has returned. Randy Quaid isn’t here, but he has a semi-valid excuse. So why didn’t original Independence Day star Will Smith return to the franchise that helped launch his big-screen career, now that Roland Emmerich has gathered the gang once again, 20 years later, for Independence Day: Resurgence?

WATCH the Independence Day: Resurgence Trailer here!

The answer is complicated. During a press event on behalf of the launch of the anticipated sequel, Emmerich addressed the absence of his A-list star. The way that the director recounted, Smith initially was very excited about returning to Independence Day, where he’d once again play courageous fighter pilot Captain Steven Hiller. Emmerich told us that the sequel was going to have a father-son aspect to it, with young Jessie Usher cast as Hiller’s child, Dylan. Vivica A. Fox even agreed to return as former-stripper Jasmine. The family unit was basically intact for Independence Day: Resurgence.

Then, as Emmerich puts it, After Earth happened. And all of a sudden, Will Smith wasn’t eager to rush into a science-fiction story structured around a father-son duo on an adventure. Emmerich told us:

Meaning Resurgence now needs someone else to chomp a cigar and punch the alien invaders in the face.

Earlier in the day, I was lucky enough to have a conversation with Independence Day co-writer and producer Dean Devlin about Will Smith’s absence, and while he’s now speaking from a point of moving forward without a major talent, the way that he described the writing process on the sequel without Smith made a lot of sense. According to Devlin, the original Independence Day was a true ensemble picture, with Smith, Goldblum, Pullman, Fox and even Quaid getting their individual moments. Devlin explained that adding Smith, now, to a sequel would automatically make him the star of the film. Once they knew Smith wasn’t returning, Devlin said the creative team was able to go back into the script and redistribute the action, so that Independence Day: Resurgence will be a true ensemble pic that has plenty of memorable moments for the original cast, and the newcomers looking to carry the torch. Emmerich did say that they will deal with the "disappearance" of Will Smith in a "very respectful way," saying that the character "is still part of this universe." But it doesn’t sound like a cameo is happening, because it wouldn’t make sense in the new story.

There are plenty of new faces to fill Smith’s void, however. In addition to Usher, Emmerich has cast Liam Hemsworth, Maika Monroe, Joey King, William Fichtner, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Angelababy and Sela Ward, playing the President of the United States of America. They will be banding together in a global conflict when a fresh wave of aliens returns to our planet, possibly seeking vengeance for the events of the original film. Independence Day: Resurgence opens in theaters on June 24, 2016… without Will Smith.

Today has been a rather big one for the production of Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day: Resurgence. Not only has the movie announced its official title and revealed new plot details, but now we have our first look at two of the powerful space crafts that will be utilized by some of the lead characters in the blockbuster:

20th Century Fox officially released the image you see above, which is the vehicle that has been identified as The Moon Tug. More specifically, this is moon-based piece of operational equipment that is used in the movie by Jake Morrison – the new character being played by Liam Hemsworth. Check out another look at the vehicle behind director Roland Emerich in the image below...

During a special press conference held today with the entire cast and the director of Independence Day: Resurgence, Hemsworth revealed not only some new details about his role, but also how he wound up taking the helm of The Moon Tug. According to the actor, Jake was orphaned at a young age because his parents were killed during the 1996 alien invasion, and he grew up in an orphanage and eventually joined the military. He grew to become an ace fighter pilot, but that’s where he found himself in trouble. Hemsworth explained,

So what would Jake prefer to be flying instead? That would be one of the military’s hybrid jets – one of which our own Sean O’Connell actually snapped a picture of on the set of Independence Day: Resurgence:

The reason this is called a hybrid jet is because it is partially made with alien technology that wound up being left over after the invasion of 1996. This is a detail that Roland Emmerich has been talking about for years, so it’s pretty cool to see one of them actually come to life. While Jake dreams about flying one of these jets again, we will instead largely see them piloted by Dylan Hiller (Jessie Usher) - the step-son of Will Smith’s Captain Steven Hiller from the first movie – and Rain, a character played by Chinese actress Angelababy.

It will probably be a while before we actually get to see these two vehicles in action, as Independence Day: Resurgence is still very much in the midst of production out in Albuquerque, New Mexico. That being said, the film’s June 24, 2016 release date will probably be here before we know it.

With a little more than a year to go until Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day sequel reaches theaters, Fox invited a handful of journalists into the deserts of New Mexico to learn in-depth details about the latest extraterrestrial threat to our evolving planet. It’s not going to be as easy as punching an alien in the face and welcoming them to Earth. That was 20 years ago. In 2016, we are going to have to brace for the Independence Day Resurgence.

The sequel’s title is one of many things revealed by Emmerich and his all-star cast during a live telecast from Albuquerque, which we were on hand to cover. Emmerich described Independence Day Resurgence as a resurgence of the franchise, and of this universe. He said that he hates sequels, so this is more of a reboot, or an expansion of the existing world. He says that we will see the globe come together to unite against a common enemy. An extraterrestrial enemy.

During the telecast, Roland Emmerich described two of the spacecrafts that will play a prominent role in the sequel. The Moon Tug is a beast of a craft that is housed on a moon base as part of the military’s Earth Space Defense.

And one of the many crafts that have been upgraded due to the alien technology we acquired in the first movie is this Human Hybrid Fighter Jet.

The majority of the original ID cast is back for Independence Day Resurgence. Roland Emmerich will be joined by Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, Vivica A. Fox, Brent Spiner, Angelababy, Maika Monroe, Sela Ward, Jessie Usher and Liam Hemsworth. Yes, we realize that Will Smith’s name isn’t listed on the call sheet, but Resurgence is pushing ahead without the charismatic star, who declined the invitation to return to the sci-fi blockbuster that helped launch his career.

We picked up more details about the characters during the press conference, from Liam Hemsworth being a dangerous fighter pilot to Jessie Usher playing the son of Will Smith and Vivica A. Fox. The latter joked that her character is off the pole, and is now the "stripper with a heart of gold." She’s raising her son to be a hero, and will be a strong character once again. Ward talked about her President being a polar opposite of Bill Pullman’s world leader, but it’s a dynamic that she knows fans will enjoy.

The official synopsis we have for Independence Day Resurgence is as follows:

Independence Day Resurgence opens in theaters on June 24, 2016. Look for plenty more from our set visit in the coming days and weeks!

Head over to Page 2 to see some brand new photos from the set of Independence Day: Resurgence! Here is the new vehicle, which has been called "The Moon Tug":

And here's director Roland Emmerich posing with his newly-invented sci-fi craft:

"We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day!"

Okay, not today. Monday. On Monday night, live from New Mexico, Independence Day director Roland Emmerich and the cast of his wildly anticipated sequel will be holding a press conference where they are expected to reveal details about next summer’s blockbuster… even dropping the title of the ID4 follow up (if rumors are to be believed). And you are able to tune in! We are on the ground here in Albuquerque, New Mexico, visiting the set of the second Independence Day, and we’ll have plenty to report back to CinemaBlend readers about the sequel. But if you want to hear some of the information first hand, from the director and his cast, bookmark this page, and tune back in at 9 pm EST / 6 pm PST on Monday, June 22. The teleconference will be beamed live to the Web via this YouTube feed, so keep this page handy:

Roland Emmerich’s sequel to Independence Day will take place 20 years after the events of the original 1996 blockbuster, which saw a fleet of alien spaceships coming down to our planet, hovering over Earth’s major cities, and destroying our key landmarks. Who can forget the destruction of the White House and the Empire State Building, easily one of the most memorable scenes from that summer season?

The majority of the original cast is back for the sequel to Independence Day, and they all will be part of the Monday evening teleconference. Roland Emmerich will be joined by Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, Vivica A. Fox, Brent Spiner, Angelababy, Maika Monroe, Sela Ward, Jessie Usher and Liam Hemsworth for an all-star presentation that is expected to set thet stage for next summer’s film.

The official synopsis we have for Emmerich's Independence Day sequel is as follows:

Roland Emmerich's Independence Day sequel opens in theaters on June 24, 2016. Look for plenty more from our set visit in the coming days and weeks!

The global devastation in Independence Day means that the impending sequel has a lot to do to match its predecessor’s carnage. Even though Will Smith has decided not to return for the follow-up, it's shaping up nicely thanks to nifty casting decisions and the fact that Fox has given Roland Emmerich $200 million to play with. And now the first look at the film’s promotional art and synopsis suggests that the German director is going to use all of this money to wreak havoc.

Let’s first have a gander at Independence Day 2’s synopsis, which has come courtesy of Collider. The brief outline gives us our first hint at how the film will unfold, while also reminding us of the legacy of the original:

Sounds like pretty harrowing stuff. In fact, Independence Day 2’s artwork makes the world’s plight look even more desperate. The image comes from Coming Soon, and you should click over there to check out their full gallery of other photos from the Licensing Expo too.

While the aliens might have a humungous ship that’s probably the size of two continents and has the ability to attack huge portions of the globe in one fell swoop courtesy of their advanced weapons, the planet Earth has Jeff Goldblum. So I’m not worried. Alongside Goldblum’s David Levinson, who saved the globe in 1996’s Independence Day with Will Smith’s Captain Steven Hillier, are Bill Pullman’s former President Thomas J. Whtimore, Liam Hemsworth as Jake Morrison, and Jessie Usher as Dylan Dubrow-Hiller. Sela Ward, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Vivica A. Fox, Judd Hirsh, Brent Spiner, and William Fichtner are also along for the ride.

The above image might not actually be an official poster from Fox’s marketing team for Independence Day 2 since it has only been made privy to those at the Licensing Expo. Heck, it’s even likely that it won’t ever see the light of day on the wall in your local multiplex. However, it certainly gives us a clear indication of how Independence Day 2 plans to up the ante from its original, since that was promoted with just The White House being destroyed by alien technology.

While news of Independence Day 2 was originally sniggered at, it looks as though the alien invasion blockbuster is actually shaping up rather nicely. Independence Day 2 will finally be with us on June 24, 2016, which is clearly 10 days too early.

When Hollywood makes a film about worldwide disaster, a lot of the same landmarks keep popping up. Maybe its their iconic nature, maybe it's because they look good being blown apart in CGI or miniature. Either way, these six landmarks are more than likely going to be in the next worldwide disaster picture you get to watch.

Fandango compiled this list showing some of what we've come to know as "Iconic Landmarks Destroyed In Movies." While the information isn't a complete record of the total times each site has been used in the movies, it does contains a good sampling of films -- both classic and modern -- to make its point effectively.

Looking at the graphic, we can see some interesting patterns of behavior. For instance, out of the four White House demolitions included in the sampling in front of us, three out of the four were in Roland Emmerich films. Whether Emmerich is that derivative of a filmmaker, or if he's secretly crafting a cinematic treatise against American Exeptionalism in politics, we'll never know. But what we do know is that the man loves to wreck the hell out of famous sites to see, which also granted him the title of the most featured director in Fandango's list.

While The White House might be quite the popular target over the ages, the Chrysler Building seems to have fallen out of favor with the more modern filmmakers of the world. Sure, it had not only one, but two fake asteroids take it out both in Armageddon and Deep Impact, it really hasn't had all that much attention in films like 2012 or even The Day After Tomorrow, which was set square in the midst of New York City. Let that be a lesson to those of you who like to keep using the Statue Of Liberty in your disaster films, as there may come a day that you'll even skip that location in your cinematic orgy of destruction.

Speaking of Lady Liberty, as well as previously mentioned disaster auteur Roland Emmerich, did you know that he left the Statue intact in The Day After Tomorrow, and with specific reason? As it turns out, the man who loves to make stuff go boom wanted to pay tribute to the resilience of America and New York City after 9/11, and as such made the scientifically inaccurate decision to leave that grand gift from France standing in the midst of a gigantic flood that overtakes the entire city. Considering half of the list's landmarks contain at least one entry from Emmerich's filmography, it's an interesting outlier in the man's otherwise "disastrous" career.

Keeping the six sites of Fandango's random sampling in mind, maybe it's about time Hollywood start to destroy locations on a more local level. Why not take out some more corner coffee shops the next time aliens come to town? Why can't Dave And Busters suffer the wrath of a 9.8 earthquake? And in the name of Spielberg, why hasn't Connecticut gotten its own time to shine in a disaster? It's time to spread the disastrous wealth, Hollywood, lest the rest of the world get jealous of our destructive selves.

Maybe San Andreas will be the first film to break Hollywood out of its disastrous cycle of repetitive disaster. Let us know if it does, should you venture to see it this weekend.