Monday, March 18, 2024

Will Smith Shouldn’t Be Pricing Himself Out of the ‘Independence Day” Sequel So Fast

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Director Roland Emmerich– who’s got the bewildering “White House Down” coming out Friday– tells the New York Daily News that Will Smith won’t be in the “Independence Day” sequel. He’s too expensive. And Emmerich says Smith told him he wanted to do other things. Oh really? Like what? “After Earth 2”? “Eight Pounds”? The fact is: Will Smith has not had a hit in a long time. “After Earth” and “Seven Pounds” were insufferable. The best thing he could do, frankly, is get himself into “ID4, Part 2” ASAP. For Smith, the thing he must do now is reconnect with his audience. They’re about to move on without him. Can it happen? Ask Eddie Murphy or Tom Cruise. Audiences change with new generations. “After Earth” did a lot of damage to Smith’s popularity. And “ID4” is beloved. Emmerich may have gotten lost on “WHD” but he knows these initials– “ID4” — a lot better. Smith could do a lot worse than cut his price and jump onto a popular project. Urgggh.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.
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