Last time we heard about the discussed sequels to 1996’s Independence Day, it was just whispers and not much was thought of the rumor at the time.

Now it looks like the movies are much more likely to happen than was once thought. So much so that it’s being reported that director Roland Emmerich and screenwriter Dean Devlin are finishing up work on scripts for Independence Day 2 and Independence Day 3, with hopes being that they will be completed by mid-December. The plan as it stands right now is for the movies to be filmed back-to-back, which is quickly becoming the preferred production method for two planned sequels.

But what of superstar Will Smith and his involvement in the projects? Well, it appears that that will be up to him. According to sources Smith is looking for a $50 million payday to film the two movies back-to-back, and that seems to be a bit steep for Fox’s liking.

There’s still plenty of time to figure out whether Smith will ultimately sign on or not, but it looks like Fox is also willing to make the movies without him…if it does come to that. This is curious because if the scripts are near completion, one has to assume they’re written around Smith’s–who alone can skyrocket a film’s box office numbers upon release–character and that it would be very difficult to interchange the characters to make it work. Unless they plan on shimmying Jeff Goldblum‘s character into Smith’s and making him the new hero? Geeks are in, ya know.

Speaking of other characters it isn’t known who else might be returning or not. Again, once the scripts are officially completed and turned in is when we’ll known much more about the Smith situation and anyone else who could be involved.

Do you want to see an Independence Day 2 & 3, and do you think they have any chance of working without Will Smith’s name on the poster?

[Source: Vulture]