Independence Day: Resurgence Took 20 Years to Finish Because of This

Independence Day was released back in 1996 and it's only this year that it's sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence, will hit the big screen. It therefore begs the question why it took almost two decades to make the movie. Well, director and co-writer Roland Emmerich went candid and revealed the reason why the sequel took so long. Apparently, cinematic technology couldn't catch up to his vision.

In an interview with io9, Emmerich said:

I had one big idea [for the movie] which was to create a totally different world that's enhanced by alien technology and that the whole world was united. Secondly, I said ‘Okay, so, the Mothership this time, comes down to Earth and it's as big as the Atlantic Ocean.' These two ideas pretty much drive the film

When Independence Day hit theaters back in 1996, the movie smashed the box office with its sales. The 20th Century Fox film became the highest grossing in that year, taking home $817.4 million. Naturally, the studio asked Emmerich to think about a storyline for the movie's sequel, but it appears like the German filmmaker's ideas were too big at the time.

Now, 20 years following Independence Day, the technology to fully visualize Emmerich's ideas is ripe. The trailers seem to prove that the upcoming film certainly does offer a significant improvement over its predecessor. However, it's worth noting that there are a ton of films slated this year that could compete with Resurgence.

I guess Fox and audiences will just have to wait and see whether the risk of pouring $200 million into the budget is worth it.

Independence Day: Resurgence is slated for release on June 24.

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