Will Smith was once the one star you could bank on making a successful summer blockbuster. But apart from recent efforts like After Earth, a turn to more dramatic projects, and molding his kids’ careers, we haven’t seen the actor grace the big screen much.

When plans for a series of Independence Day sequels started to arise, one of the first questions was how many actors would be coming back to reprise their roles. Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum were confirmed to be one of the major stars to return, but according to Roland Emmerich, Smith’s price tag may be too high just to reprise a role. That was back in June. Now the director is singing a slightly different tune as he has revealed that he has been in talks with the actor.

Roland Emmerich has been talking about an Independence Day sequel for sometime now, which happens to coincide with the release of his upcoming film White House Down. We’ve learned that the sequel will be broken up into two parts – with the first installment being titled ID Forever, Part I, will take place 20-25 years after the events of the first film, and will feature the return of some characters. Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum are reportedly returning to duty, and that some of the younger characters from the first film will be back as well. But the one person who isn’t coming back is Will Smith, due to the fact that he is just too expensive.

But Emmerich also says that Smith is just too much of a marquee name and that his stardom will get in the way of the film.

Roland Emmerich is pretty experienced when it comes to destroying the White House. His newest directorial effort, White House Down, shows audiences that the world’s most recognizable house isn’t as secure as you may think. But fans of his are more likely to recognize the greatest destruction of the White House in Independence Day.

Talks of a sequel started to arise in recent years, but what those talks contained in terms of story were withheld from the public. But now that White House Down is coming up, an Independence Day follow-up could be Emmerich’s next project, as new details on the eventual sequel are coming out. Check out below when the story could occur and which character might reappear.