Almost a year on from Disney’s acquisition of Fox and we’re still coming to terms with what it means for a myriad of cinema’s hottest properties. That’s evidenced by Roland Emmerich’s latest update on the future of former Fox franchise Independence Day.
In a new interview with ComicBook.com, the director gave a surprisingly philosophical reflection on its status, now that Disney own it and Fox are no more, saying:
“For Independence Day, it’s now owned by Disney so I haven’t really had time to explore that because I was actually so sad that a studio which I made two movies for all of a sudden disappears. It’s just so sad. That’s the movies. The movie industry is constantly changing.”
Emmerich appears almost grief stricken by the buyout, enough that he hasn’t followed up on what’s next for his most beloved creation. Well, more specifically his most beloved film in the singular. The original Independence Day was superb blockbuster cinema – for my money the best 7/10 movie ever made. It’s such a good 7/10 movie, in fact, that it probably deserves an 8. Check it out if you haven’t (then again, who hasn’t seen Independence Day?).
But the belated 2016 sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence paled in comparison; its disappointing box office return mirrored its stinky critical reception. It was rubbish, put it that way. Truth be told, any sequel was never realistically going to recapture the magic of the original, which was a one-off combination of cheeky scripting and to this day unrivaled star-power. It was a moment, but the moment passed.
Take Roland’s statement philosophically, then. If you wanted a third outing anytime soon, you’ll be disappointed to hear the director of number 1 and 2 hasn’t got around to calling up his new landlords. But I’d contend, given that the first film is unlikely ever to be matched, why you’d want any more mediocre sequels farmed out until the memory of the classic is sunk? Terminator and Alien have taught viewers much, but producers little. Don’t make the same mistake with Independence Day chaps.