What is ID4?

ID4 = Independence Day, July 4

ID4 is the movie Independence Day and the 4th of July (When the invasion occurred).. Thus... ID4..

ID4 was the movie tag line they used in advertisements. ID4 Invasion! Independence Day for Invasion! Relating to the title, and the date it takes place around.

This is one movie where the sequel would harm the original, because what did the Randy Quaid's character die for if it can happen again and the aliens aren't dead?

Nicholas, I don't know if you were around and not paying attention or just not around in the mid-90s, but ID4 was the shorthand used for "Independence Day." It's sort a conflation of "Independence Day" (ID) and the Fourth of July (4).

FWIW, the only worthy sequel to ID4 would have to be based on this classic newsgroup post:

http://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/susan/sf/films/id4vir.htm

Will Smith is essential to the audience? Really? Aliens are essential for a ID4 sequel...Will Smith, not really essential. Don't think we need another, "Welcome to Earth" line.

ID4 2 in 2012!

Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Brent Spiner, and Vivica A. Fox has to be in it! It has to TOP the original! THEN it will be worth the LONG wait!!!

Markus McLaughlin
linuxglobe at twitter.com
Hudson, MA, USA

George Pal (or H.G. Wells) didn’t make a sequel to War of the Worlds. There’s nothing for them to “borrow”.

Um, Brent Spiner's character was most decidedly dead at the end of ID4.

Robtonthethetoiler, yes, though the duo who put together Scarlet Traces, did a pretty good speculation on what would happen _after_ the War of the Worlds, and you'd have a similar geo-political situation post ID4 with all the alien tech laying around all over the planet to reverse engineer. Maybe some of that tech could bring Brent Spiner's character back in ghoulish fashion as the 'voice of the aliens' again.

Seriously, I don't think this movie warrants a sequel.

Personally, I don't think Will Smith is 'essential' for any film. In fact, I'd be fine with never seeing him again.

Sequel?!
In this era of remakes surely that is what will happen .
Then they won't need Smith for its sequel.

Kind of surprised they never tried to make the prequel book into a movie. No need for Will Smith at all.
Wasnt that bad of a book if I remember correctly.

I don't think there should be a sequel. I like the idea that unsuspecting aliens made the mistake not only of using non Macintosh computers with no anti-viral protection, but they stepped up into the face of a planet of beings who kill each other day after day for fun, and even when we aren't killing each other, most of our entertainment is about killing each other. It really should end there, with one big "Duh" hanging over the alien race.

*facepalm* @ Observer7

Ugh! That movie was SO F-ing horrible! I hope they continue to have budgetary problems so that we aren't forced to endure the marketing campaign (much less the crappy Emmerich Emetic.

What is ID-2 going to be about? Rebuilding the Earth? Fighting a new alien species with what little defenses Earth has left? The story has already been told, let's live with it!

This is News? In my sequel H.G. Welles returns from the dead as a sadistic Zombie who mutilates filmmakers and writers who make sequels, prequels, remakes, and rip off other peoples ideas! Oops - there goes the whole genre.

'Don't think we need another, "Welcome to Earth" line.'

That was the only good thing about that film, apart from Will Smith - and he delivered it.

Never mind an ID$ sequel when we gonna get a proper War of the Worlds set in Victorian London with proper special effects this time???? Surely the daddy of all alien invasions needs releasing???!!

if the sequal was to include the aliens troops we say departing the mothership and the left over alien fighter pilots and how the earth was dealing with their tech. I might go and see it

They should have tied in District 9 with ID4....

After all, SOMETHING had to be done with all those aliens that were still alive after their big ass ships crashed.

Meh, ID4 was a perfect encapsulated movie, it had a beginning and an End, there is no need for a sequel.

ID 10 T!!

I can see an ID4 sequel, but not the type everyone else is talking about. In the movie Earth is the first planet to ever repel the invaders. So in the sequel other alien species ask Earth for help because their planets are being invaded as well.

Just as ID4 was like our War of Independence, our most important war, the sequel would be like WWII, a war where we liberated other countries invaded by an evil force.

Well, the short answer to the headline question: Why we will never see a sequel?
The Reason: ID4 was just bad. Sure this guy can do some really fantastic special effects shots, but he dosn't get the whole "Story" thing yet. I mean 2012 is the sequeal isn't it? Just more special effects with another lame, cliche story--sounds like a sequal to me.

No more Will Smith movies - EVER!

For the best. I thought that movie was one of the worst I have seen in quite some time. Great effects, for certain, but the rest was laughable IMO. Pullman as President was the straw that broke the camels back (horrible), but, the story was pure hollywood BS, from the eye rolling one liners to the literally unbelievable plot. Yes, this movie was made for the fun of it, but I think it could have been much, much better if they had stuck to a more believable plot, dialogue, etc... ah well.

Bring on the sequel. Love the suggestion by . Could do a mini series with that or shoot two films back to back and even roll out some spin off products from them I.E. comics, TV series or the such. Plenty of ways to generate some cash fro all involved and make some cool sci fi material. Which if you have not noticed we could use more of on a network that is surpose to be about Science fiction.
On another note where are the Star Gate movies we were promised for SG1 and Atlantis??
That is a related topic, because FOX carried Star Gate and many other cool Sci Fi shows that they let go to the way side over the years....

I'd say they got incredibly lucky with the first movie and should quit while they are ahead. Since it came out, the Bush administration has pretty much killed knee-jerk flag waving and the perception that we are the good guys. That's most of ID4's "plot". Make a sequel to Mar's Attacks instead.

I've been hoping for years that they'd do a sequal to this movie. My favorite movie line of all time is:

"Oh, I KNOW you did NOT shoot that green shit at me!"

They'd have my 8 bucks! Do it before the actors get to old...like with Ghostbusters 3 in the works...

I saw Pullman in a movie about Napa Valley winegrowers this weekend. He's no Prince Lonestar anymore! The dude is AGING!

If they can do it right really right I am all for it. ID4 is one of my most favorite modern sci-fi movies. Yes. Will Smith is a must.

Robert

I don't think a sequel is necessary at all for this film. Why can't they just come up with some new movie ideas?

Why do you need Will Smith at all? It's been too many years since the movie? You want to keep the movie characters: fine, but recast if it means lowering the budget. Hollywood gets this notion that audience WILL only accept the same actors. To a degree - but too many years of past - and besides, the audiences knows these are just actors and it's an acting job. They / We want to be entertained. If the script is good but the deals then move forward with new actors.

The first half of Independence Day was a brilliant sci-fi thriller. Yes it was a complete rip-off of "War of the Worlds" and "V" but it was good. The second half of it was utter CRAP and went down in history as one of the most ridiculous endings ever. It turned from a fairly scary - and even convincing - thriller into some brainless all-american crud with its "heroes" making glib jokes all the time. This glibness was epitomised by Will Smith's character and he is one single person who hurt that film the most, much like he destroys any potential of any sci-fi thriller (I Robot and I Am Legend). As for a sequel doing over a billion dollars worth of box office - I DONT THINK SO. Independence Day came out at a time when audiences were ready to see major cities get bitchslapped with CGI effects. Even though the story was old, it was visually exciting. But how many times have we seen that happen since ID came out 13 years ago? Far too many (and certainly too many by Emmerich himself). There is no interesting way to do another Independence Day without it being a lame retread of the original....and this time it won't have any novelty value to help it. A sequel is a BAD idea.

That's a mighty fine ship, ummm, yeahhh..., i think it is the family model. ID4 is doable new, but not not new.

Inependence day was the epitome of a big, bloated, stupid, sloppy drooling puppy of an american movie. It was watchable in the same way that Twilight is readable. Kind of enjoyable in moment, but no illusions that what you are enjoying is not crap. Isn't there already enough crap?

I don't like the idea of a sequel based in the aftermath. If they do it, they should base it a century or more after the failed invasion of Earth. Say humanity reverse engineered the alien tech and found out where the alien home world is. I say take the war to them!!

This time Jeff Goldblum can upload Windows Vista to the alien computers!

I loved ID4 at the time, though it was cheesy and implausible. My only real problem was that human defeated the aliens. In real life, humans would have no chance of winning. But it was a feel good movie, and that was the point.

I don't want a sequel. The only thing that could make sense, is if the humans had to go fight a massive ground battle with the several hundred thousand surving aliens, who are now stuck on Earth after the ships got destroyed. T4, or War of the Worlds like.

ill go see it after indy and the (insert semi cool religious idea here). can see 2 possible ways they could go with it and i just dont see it as worth making. i rather see nother indy movie , a much better indy movie.

I remember reading once, that the storyline for the sequel would be that a bigger alien ship comes to investigate why they loose contact with their buddies. They start a much bigger invasion, and at the last minute, a bigger, stronger alien race comes and saves the Earth.

if they did make a sequal it could actually be several to hundreds of years into the future if it were to be an invasion sequel. scifi sequals can be either great or annoying and not much in between. i liked starship troopers as simple escapist brain candy but the sequel. wtf was that? i havent seen the third one yet but i may just see what happens. lol

I'm not hating on Will Smith at all, but I don't think he's essential to an ID sequel.

Sometimes, though, it might be best to leave well enough alone. Good, successful movie...leave it at that.

What are they going to do? Reverse the signal and invade the laptops of everyone at Starbucks?

First half of the movie was great. Then they really screwed it up after that.

Please no sequel!