Roland Emmerich Talks Independence Day 2, Singularity and Isaac Asimov’s ‘Foundation’ Series

Disaster-movie showman, Roland Emmerich has long found fame for the destruction of everyone’s most beloved landmarks, the White House (for the third time – see WHITE HOUSE DOWN for more information) among them, and even so far as the entire planet. He’s not shy when it comes to taking away what people love the most in visual spectacles that combat James Cameron’s AVATAR or that of solar eclipses (Do something with this for your next film, Emmerich!). However, according to a recent interview with Empire, the two-part INDEPENDENCE DAY 2, (which may also be referred to as ID FOREVER PART I and II — very patriotic) set for a July 3rd, 2015 release, may not quite be ready in time, also showing some uncertainty as to his commitment to the project:

“You have to set a release date otherwise another film moves into it,” he explains. “[But] Independence Day is my next movie, if I get the right script. I should get the script pretty soon, then I’ll try to get it into good shape for one or two months, and if that happens, we’ll announce it and start production.”

He insists that the two-parter should be separated by a cliffhanger, dividing the two, and will not be shooting both films at once, unlike that of Peter Jackson’s THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG and THE HOBBIT: THERE AND BACK AGAIN, or Cameron’s AVATAR 2 and 3. Seemingly, he does this out of consideration for the audience:

“We’ll only do the first part,” he says, “because we want to have the audience decide if they want to see the second, otherwise it feels arrogant. But I’m pretty confident, with the right script…”

When explaining the motivation behind the proposed sequel, Emmerich told Empire that “The idea for it came out of 2012… and what you can do with technology these days.” He also revealed that the setting for INDEPENDENCE DAY 2 may not be what everyone’s expecting:

“It’s a parallel history,” he explained. “Humans rebuild whatever they have – bigger, newer, shinier – and then they forget. Maybe, 20 years later, [the aliens are] never coming back…” And if they do, can we assume they’ll have better virus protection? “They won’t fall for that again.”

Solidly taking shape, it looks as if we might be expect to see it in cinemas on July 3rd, 2015, after all. The film is also written by long-time collaborator Dean Devlin (INDEPENDENCE DAY, GODZILLA) and James Vanderbilt (THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, WHITE HOUSE DOWN, ROBOCOP). It is uncertain as to whether they will also be playing roles as producers.

Emmerich also took the time to provide some comments as to his other upcoming works, including the mysterious SINGULARITY, having previously brought on-board transhumanist Ray Kurzweil, author of The Singularity is Near to revise the script:

“That is on very, very good grounds again. We just overdid its complexity, we packed too much in it, but we lost two or three subplots and suddenly realised, ‘Oh my God, this works!’ I definitely want to make this movie.”

And finally, talks of Issac Asimov’s ‘Foundation’ series, a vastly complex yet thoroughly enjoyable sci-fi epic of being adapted to the silver screen have not gone unnoticed, as Emmerich has been approached regarding the project:

“We’re trying to do it as a big mini-series, but even there you would have to change the story itself and set it in a time when the galaxy has fallen apart – and then you’re pretty much making a TV show with all these characters and playing all the scenes out. You can [do that] and we’ll see what happens. We tried so hard [to make it into a movie], honestly, because it’s one of my most favourite books. I just love it.”

Fans of the series may be disappointed to hear this news, whether it be regarding the possible adaptation altogether, or the fact Emmerich talks of changing the entire plot.

Source: Empire