Emmerich reveals details of Independence Day sequel

Director Roland Emmerich has revealed details of his planned sequels for sci-fi blockbuster 'Independence Day'.

The first new film is set 20 years after the original, and will focus on the children of the original's characters - clearly giving the producers the chance to bring in new, younger actors.

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The action begins after a distress signal is sent back to the aliens' home planet, following their defeat at the hands of Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum in the 1996 original.

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Speaking to EW, he said: “The humans knew that one day the aliens would come back, and they know that the only way you can really travel in space is through wormholes. So for the aliens, it could take two or three weeks, but for us that’s 20 or 25 years.

“It’s still some of the same characters, but also new younger characters; it’s a little bit like the sons take over. The first one ends on a little success, but only enough to give the humans hope. And then in the second one they free themselves again [from the aliens].”

So far, the film is in the script-editing stage with Emmerich and producer Dean Devlin having written the first draft, adding that the events of the first film changed the world.

“It’s like parallel history,” he said. “[Humans] have harnessed all this alien technology. We don’t know how to duplicate it because it’s organically-grown technology, but we know how to take an anti-gravity device and put it in a human airplane.”

Though Bill Pullman has revealed he's on board, the sequels have yet to confirm interest from Will Smith or Goldblum.

Currently the scripts are being re-written by James Vanderbilt, who penned 'White House Down' and 'The Amazing Spider-Man'.