Fox officially greenlights the first INDEPENDENCE DAY sequel

There’s a reason why the development process for movies in Hollywood is known affectionately as “Development Hell”. It’s where projects gestate, sitting patiently through various rewrites and script revisions, waiting for a cash injection that will move the film along. While Independence Day 2 hasn’t been stuck in one of the more dire circles of that hell, waiting for the gears to turn. Well kids, those gears are now officially cranking away.

Fox has officially slapped a green light on Independence Day 2, which will begin shooting in May 2015 according to Deadline. Will Smith is unlikely to return, and Roland Emmerich has yet to strike an official deal to return direct the film, although I’d imagine that being merely a formality by this point, considering all the work he’s put in so far. The sequel has had Emmerich, Dean Devlin, Carter Blanchard and James Vanderbilt working on the script, although details have been kept rather secure so far.

I’m kind of excited for this project. Reboots may be met with disdain, but there’s something fantastic about a sequel decades in the making, which has me slip into nostalgia mode. I’m not asking for the best movie ever made, but if the Independence Day sequel can be as easily rewatchable as the first film, I’ll be plenty happy.