With a perfect trailer, 20th Century Fox introduced Independence Day: Resurgence on Sunday with the first trailer. Will Smith might not be around this time, but we’ve at least got Jeff Goldblum here to save the day.
Resurgence starts 20 years after the first film, which was released back in 1996 and is responsible for ushering in a new era of special effects blockbusters. The sequel is set in a world where humans had learned to integrate the alien technology left behind during the War of 1996. However, it will still be quite a challenge to beat the aliens when they return.
The trailer does a fantastic job of setting this up and re-introducing us to the world. Goldblum is back to play David Levinson, the top scientist working on the alien tech, and Judd Hirsch can be spotted as David’s dad. Other members of the cast include Bill Pullman, Joey King, Maika Monroe, Liam Hemsworth, Vivica A. Fox, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sela Ward and Jessie Usher.
There’s also shots of aliens starting to wreak havoc, although no actual aliens are seen. Pullman’s famous speech from the first film is used.
Usher plays the son of Smith’s character, Capt. Steven Hiller. Fox did launch a site called Warof1996.com, where an explanation for Hiller not appearing in the film can be found. Goldblum also narrated a video to promote the site.
Resurgence opens on June 24 and is directed by Roland Emmerich.