$1.2 Billion Franchise Actress Says Will Smith’s Absence Doomed the Sequel: “We missed out”

Will Smith has become one of the most established actors in the industry over the decades and he was at that point in his career back in 2016 when the sequel of a movie bombed because of his absence from it. The American actor portrayed the role of Captain Steven Hiller in the 1996 blockbuster science fiction movie, Independence Day. However, due to clashing schedules, Smith could not reprise his role in the sequel Independence Day: Resurgence, and the movie bombed at the box office.

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Vivica A. Fox, who portrays the role of Jasmine Dubrow in both movies, opened up about how Will Smith’s absence in the sequel was a massive blow to the franchise.

Vivica A. Fox talks about Will Smith’s absence from Independence Day: Resurgence

In a recent interview with The A.V. Club, Vivica A. Fox, who portrayed the role of Jasmine Dubrow in both movies, revealed how Will Smith’s absence from the sequel had an extremely adverse effect on the franchise. She said,

“I really feel we missed out by not bringing Will Smith back. We had most of the original cast, but I think the one true link that was missing to the success of ‘Independence Day 2’ was that Will Smith wasn’t there. I’m going to keep it real — I was at the premiere and I was like ‘Mmm, let’s see how the fans are going to feel about this.’ And sure enough on Twitter, they blew me up.“

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Vivica A. Fox’s character, Jasmine Dubrow was also the girlfriend of Smith’s character, Captain Steven Hiller, in the first movie.

The King Richard actor allegedly left the Independence Day sequel for Suicide Squad

Will Smith was initially excited to reprise his role as Captain Steven Hiller in the sequel to the Independence Day movie. However, due to scheduling conflicts, the actor had to part ways with the franchise and took up the role of Floyd Lawton aka Deadshot in DCEU’s Suicide Squad. After Smith suddenly dropped out of the movie, the production of Independence Day: Resurgence suffered as the whole plot of the movie was designed around Steven Hiller and the new script for the movie got written in less than 2 weeks.

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Had Will Smith not dropped out of Independence Day: Resurgence, the movie would probably not have bombed at the box office, but unfortunately, the Oscar-winning actor made the wrong choice and left the franchise for Suicide Squad. Although Suicide Squad was a commercial success, the movie was also met with bad reviews from fans and critics alike.

Independence Day: Resurgence is currently streaming on Fubo.

Source: The A.V. Club