Roland Emmerich’s much anticipated Independence Day 2 appears to have scored another lead in actress Charlotte Gainsbourg. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Nymphomaniac star is in talks to join a cast that is currently set to include Liam Hemsworth, Jessie Usher and Jeff Goldblum. It is believed that Bill Pullman will be returning in some capacity as well, but the actor’s involvement has not yet been confirmed.
Set to hit theaters June 24, 2016 (almost exactly 20 years after the original), Independence Day 2 is looking to begin production in May with a script most recently rewritten by Carter Blanchard (best known for the short-lived 2009 series “G vs E”). Previous drafts were done by Emmerich and Dean Devlin, and then by James Vanderbilt.
The original Independence Day opened on July 3, 1996 and earned an impressive $817.4 million worldwide. Emmerich is also set to produce the sequel alongside Devlin and Harald Kloser.
Gainsbourg has recently been working extensively with director Lars von Trier. In addition to playing the lead in the two-part Nymphomaniac, Gainsbourg starred in both Anti-Christ and Melancholia. Her other credits include roles in films like Michel Gondry’s The Science of Sleep and Todd Hayne’s unconventional Bob Dylan biopic, I’m Not There.
Although details on the plot are few and Gainsbourg’s role has not yet been revealed, we do know that Usher will be playing Dylan Hiller, the son of Will Smith’s Captain Steven Hiller from the original film. It is also believed that Hemsworth will playing the son-in-law of Pullman’s President James Whitmore.
