Although Independence Day director Roland Emmerich previously stated that star Will Smith wouldn't be involved in the film's sequel, in part for fear of him overshadowing the cast, it now looks as if the two are at least entering into talks.  Perhaps the lackluster performances of some of Smith's recent efforts have spurred him into dipping into the well of previous films, especially since he's rumored to be involved in sequels to Hancock, Bad Boys and I, Robot.  What's one more?

Whether Smith is involved in the planned Independence Day sequel or not, Emmerich isn't sure that the film will hit Fox's target release date of summer 2015, saying it's likely to open in summer of 2016.  For those of you who like measuring your own time on this Earth relative to movie releases, that's 20 years since the original debuted.  Hit the jump for more, including a video with Emmerich himself and a bit about progress on the Stargate franchise reboot.

See what Emmerich had to say about Independence Day 2, Will Smith and even a Stargate sequel/franchise reboot in this interview with Digital Spy:

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