The possibility of extraterrestrial life is a tantalizing one; however, it carries with it the chance that creatures from another world might not be friendly. Authors from Lucian to H. G. Wells have written about the fascinating concept of hostile aliens. The alien invasion movie was a staple of American cinema in the 1950's, but largely fell out of favor in the following few decades. During that time, Hollywood sci-fi films like Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. tended to depict aliens in a more positive light. The alien invasion genre was practically gone in 1996, when filmmaker Roland Emmerich's spectacle Independence Day was released.
While it lacked established movie stars and wasn't a part of a pre-existing franchise, the film still became a staggering box office success. Finally, there was a movie to accompany Fourth of July celebrations. While the film itself remains popular, the story of its creation is still fairly obscure. While behind the scenes stories about other blockbusters like Jaws, The Lion King, and Titanic are commonplace knowledge for movie buffs, facts about Emmerich's most famous film to date seem to be about as well known as the true nature of Area 51. Rather than having Christmas in July, let us discuss Independence Day in December and look back at some of the interesting facts surrounding this landmark special effects movie.
From a one-sided feud with a Tim Burton movie to a scene based on a Shakespeare speech, we are looking at 20 Wild Details Behind The Making Of Independence Day.
Ethan Hawke Was The First Choice For Will Smith's Role
Following the modest success of the cult comedy-drama Reality Bites, Ethan Hawke became very selective about what roles he would take. During this time, Hawke was offered the part of Captain Steve Hiller in Independence Day. When he read the film's script to a friend, Hawke thought that a joke in the film referencing E.T. was bad. In fact, he hated the film's script so much that he threw his copy of it out of the window of his car onto a Texas highway.
After seeing the film in theaters, Hawke immediately regretted his decision. To be honest, we couldn't imagine anyone besides Smith in the role.
Independence Day Did Not Inspire Mars Attacks!
When Tim Burton's zany sci-fi comedy Mars Attacks! was released, numerous critics and viewers thought it was a satire of Independence Day, which beat it to theaters by less than six months. The parallels between the two films are obvious - they are both alien invasion movies which focus on dozens of characters from different walks of life. In actuality, Mars Attacks! went into production first and was designed as an homage to 1950s science-fiction films like It Came from Outer Space and Plan 9 from Outer Space, rather than Roland Emmerich's star-spangled opus.
Emmerich and company were worried that they would look like plagiarists, and pushed for their film to be released to theaters first. Sadly for Burton, Emmerich's film quenched the public thirst for aliens that year, and Mars Attacks! was a tremendous flop.
The Title Was Chosen To Force its release date
Emmerich knew that Mars Attacks! was slated for a release late in the year and was determined to beat it to the market. He decided to call his film Independence Day to encourage 20th Century Fox to give it a summertime release date. Emmerich and his co-writer Dean Devlin came up with the film's title long before they completed its script and "wrote the concept around the release date." After all, who wouldn't want to see a film called Independence Day on Independence Day?
Apparently 1990s ironic detachment did not apply in this situation, but what did you expect from a film this sincere and straightforward? Once Emmerich named his film, it was sure to be everyone's Fourth of July film of choice for 1996-- unless, of course, another studio released a film starring Julia Roberts as Martha Washington.
It Was Almost Called Doomsday
In spite of what Emmerich and company wanted, 20th Century Fox considered changing the film's title to Doomsday. Bill Pullman thought that the new title was bad, and it's not hard to see why. The film wasn't bleak and apocalyptic. It actually takes a very hopeful view of human nature, positing that times of great distress can bring out the best in people and that even people society has written off, like Randy Quaid's character, can become heroes.
The film, in its own way, does embody some of the humanistic ideals that led to the revolution in the first place. The studio's marketing department was apparently not thinking in such philosophical .
The Studio Didn't Cast Any "Movie Stars"
When looking for ways to describe the cast of Independence Day, the term "star-studded" comes to mind. Between Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldman, Vivica A. Fox, Randy Quaid, and The Fresh Prince himself, Will Smith, the film's cast is full of familiar faces. However, 20th Century Fox refused to cast anyone in the film considered to be "movie stars."
Emmerich did not believe that the film's supposed lack of star power would hurt its chances at finding an audience. As Emmerich's agent noted in a New York Times article, many of the most lucrative films ever made, from E.T. to Star Wars, did not star anyone who was well known when the film first appeared in theaters.
Doubts about Will Smith
Early into the film's conception, Emmerich decided that he wanted Will Smith to play Captain Steven Hiller. The director believed that no one embodied the film's core values like Smith. Initially, the studio was not on the same page. It was felt that Smith was so identified with his role in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air that audiences might have a difficult time accepting him in a new role.
In the studio's defense, Smith had never carried a major studio film before, and well-known sitcom actors don't always have prominent film careers. Eventually, studio heads were convinced that Smith was right for the part. This gamble paid off, and Smith became one of the most bankable stars of the late 1990s and 2000s.
It Sparked A Craze For Dolphin-Themed Jewelry
Film and television have a major influence on what we do and buy. The Hunger Games repopularized archery. Lisa Simpson inspired kids to learn to play the saxophone, and Walt Disney's 101 Dalmatians convinced numerous people to buy Dalmatian puppies. Independence Day inspired a craze for dolphin jewelry.
If it's been a while since you've caught the film on cable, you might not that Smith's character gives his fiancée, played by Vivica A. Fox, a wedding ring with bottlenose dolphins on it. This inspired a brief craze for similar rings. Sadly, the company that created the rings was not licensed to produce replicas of it; if they were, they might have made a ton of money. On a happier note, Fox was kindly allowed to keep the ring by the film's producers.
Emmerich Doesn't Believe In Aliens
Just because a director depicts an entity in their films does not mean that they believe in said entity. Stanley Kubrick didn't believe in ghosts despite making The Shining, Steven Spielberg isn't Christian even though he directed Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and George Lucas (probably) doesn't believe in the Force. What is somewhat surprising, however, is that Roland Emmerich doesn't believe in aliens.
Polls suggest that a majority of citizens from US and do not think that we are alone in the universe, and a plethora of scientists have said that the existence of extraterrestrial life is highly likely given the vastness of outer space. Thus, it's surprising to know that a director whose made several films about aliens does not think that they exist.
Will Smith Turned Down A Role In the sequel
Fans of Independence Day were surprised to hear that the film's long-awaited sequel would not feature so much as a cameo from Will Smith. Instead, the actor chose to play Deadshot in the comic book blockbuster, Suicide Squad. When asked why he declined to appear in Resurgence, Smith replied that he would rather move forward in his career than nostalgically reprise an old role.
He also told Roland Emmerich that he was worried that he had been making too many science fiction films as of late, due to his back-to-back appearances in Men In Black 3 and After Earth. Perhaps if Smith had been in the film, it would have had a fighting chance at the box office.
Emmerich Has criticized the movie
Usually, when a filmmaker its that one of their films has flaws, it's because that film was lambasted by critics and rejected by the public. Examples of this would be Joel Schumacher apologizing for the shortcomings of Batman & Robin, and Will Smith saying that he should not have made Wild Wild West. Emmerich, however, had itted that there are flaws in Independence Day, a film that was immensely popular with moviegoers and received a mostly positive response from critics.
He has said that the film's plot relies on massive coincidences where characters just happen to bump into each other. However, Emmerich also feels that the film's contrivances aren't too significant, as the film is, in his words, "a fable."
