Roland Emmerich: Will Smith may return in possible ‘Independence Day’ sequel

A sequel to "Independence Day" might be one small step closer to reality.

Roland Emmerich spoke to The Lantern  on Monday, and said a script for a sequel to the 1996 blockbuster, which he directed, is being written and attempts to round up members of the original cast are being made.

Emmerich said he's trying to get the cast of the first film on board with the sequel, including Will Smith.

"We've talked to him, but naturally he wants to see a script, which I totally understand," Emmerich said.

Emmerich did not have an immediate time frame for when the script would be completed or when production would begin.

"I'd say hold tight," he said. "It's happening soon."

Emmerich and co-writer Dean Devlin, who also wrote the original film, originally planned to revisit "Independence Day" after seeing reaction to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. However, plans were scrapped until 2009, when Emmerich told latinoreview.com that he had a good story off of which to go.

On June 24, 2011, Devlin told collider.net that there was a concept in place for a sequel and two sequels are a possibility.

Requests for comment from Smith's publicist and 20th Century Fox, the studio that owns the rights to the original film, were not immediately returned.

"Independence Day" originally hit theaters July 2, 1996. The film stars Smith, Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman, who team up in an attempt to save the planet from an alien invasion. The film made more than $816 million in worldwide box office.