'Independence Day: Resurgence' will feature Liam Hemsworth in the lead role. Hemsworth and co-actor Jeff Goldblum also shared a couple of photographs on-set in New Mexico, with the former jokingly photobombing the 62-year old series mainstay in one social media post.
The young Australian actor seemed eager to jump right into the sequel for the 1996 blockbuster hit 'Independence Day'. He was tagged to fill in the leading role after Will Smith was reported not to be returning to as main protagonist Captain Steven Hiller, according to Cinema Blend. It was said that casting the 25-year old in the new film will change the 'dynamic' of the upcoming second film and will put to spotlight a newer and younger generation of protagonists.
The movie is currently in its filming phase under the direction of Roland Emmerich who also worked on the first film and was owed its mainstream success decades ago. Emmerich is also known for previous popular science-fiction adventure films such as '10,000 B.C.', '2012', 'The Day After Tomorrow' and 1998's 'Godzilla'.
According to Slash Film, the follow-up has been in the works for about 20 years. It recently showed off a teaser trailer last July 4th with several other viral teases on official Instagram and Twitter Accounts. Actor Jeff Goldblum himself posted a 12-second video with the statement "We're fighting for our right to live, to exist."
Goldblum seems rather active on his personal social media accounts and also put up one of the first photos on-set, according to The Daily Mail. The photo showed him standing in front of what looked like a fighter jet prop for the film with co-actor Hemsworth photobombing him in the background.
It was taken from the set in Albuquerque, New Mexico and captioned, "So there I was thinking about how I would save mankind when this guy photobombs me. Oh, why hello Facebook, nice to finally meet you." Hemsworth reciprocated and also posted a photo of him and Goldblum chatting it up on set. The latter will be returning as David Levinson, a computer expert and environmentalist.
Most of the actors from the first film will be returning in 'Independence Day: Resurgence' to reprise their roles including Goldblum, Vivica A. Fox as the reformed go-go dancer Jasmine Dubrow, Bill Pullman as Ex-President Thomas J. Whitmore, and Judd Hirsch as Julius Levinson - Goldblum's on-screen father. Newcomers include Hemsworth, Sela Ward as the new U.S. President Lanford and Maika Monroe as Patricia Whitmore - the ex-president's daughter.
'Independence Day: Resurgence' is a follow-up to the 1996 blockbuster hit 'Independence Day' to be released on June 24, 2016. The first film grossed $817 million worldwide against a $75 million budget, according to Box Office Mojo. It also garnered an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects as well as a nomination for Best Sound Mixing for that year.
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