Why Will Smith Chose Suicide Squad Over Returning For Independence Day: Resurgence
Seven years later and it's clear that "Independence Day: Resurgence" didn't exactly live up to its title. Rather than evolving the 1996 standalone sci-fi disaster movie into a full-blown franchise, the sequel was a disappointment that landed deep into the shadow of the original. That's why director Roland Emmerich is directing movies like "Moonfall" instead of capping off his "Independence Day" trilogy.
Vivica A. Fox, who appeared in both "Independence Day" and "Resurgence," thinks the problem with the latter was simple: no Will Smith. In a recent interview with A.V. Club, Fox admitted the sequel "didn't live up to the first one" and said:
"I really feel we missed out by not bringing Will Smith back. We had most of the original cast, but I think the one true link that was missing to the success of 'Independence Day 2' was that Will Smith wasn't there."
In the original "Independence Day," Smith played Captain Steven Hiller, an Air Force pilot and the movie's hero. Since he didn't return for the sequel, Hiller was killed offscreen between movies (disappointing Smith and many fans) and replaced by his stepson Dylan (Jessie T. Usher). So, why did Smith turn down "Resurgence" when the rest of the stars, from Jeff Goldblum to Bill Pullman, returned?
There have been multiple accounts, with Emmerich suggesting that Smith asked for too much money and was too famous for the movie. However, it's also worth remembering that Smith starred in a different blockbuster released in 2016: the DC Universe film "Suicide Squad," in which he played Floyd Lawton/Deadshot. The two movies began filming within a week of each other in April 2015, making it impossible for Smith to star in both — and ultimately, he chose the Squad.
'It was a decision, timing-wise...'
In an interview with BBC Radio 1Extra, Smith was asked about why he wasn't in "Independence Day: Resurgence." While humorously denying that were was any beef between him and Fox (who played Hiller's wife Jasmine), Smith explained that it was a matter of timing: "I had a couple of films lined up, I had 'Concussion' and 'Suicide Squad,' and so it was a decision, timing-wise, between 'Independence Day' and 'Suicide Squad.'"
Smith, noting how the entertainment industry loves mining nostalgia, said that the moment was right for an "Independence Day" sequel, but the timing wasn't right for him. "Concussion" was an Oscar gambit, while "Suicide Squad" was Smith's chance to get a slice of the superhero movie pie. Making those projects his priorities over another go around with "Independence Day" does make business sense.
Taking a look at the financials, it's likely that cold hard cash was just as much a motivation for Smith as his schedule. $20 million is the commonly repeated figure for Smith's "Suicide Squad" salary; though we couldn't find a concrete source for that, it would be in line with Smith's salary for contemporary projects, such as "Bright" ($27 million) and "King Richard" ($40 million, back-ended by a full bonus due to the film's simultaneous release in theaters and on HBO MAX). "Suicide Squad" had a reported production budget of $175 million (though extensive reshoots ballooned that by tens of millions), while "Resurgence" had a budget of $165 million. The latter had a larger ensemble cast and scale than "Suicide Squad," where Smith was the only established star (barring a cameo from Ben Affleck as Batman). Thus, it makes sense that Warner Bros was able to offer a higher bid for Smith than 20th Century Fox was.
According to Emmerich, Smith officially dropped out of "Resurgence" when the film was in pre-production, necessitating a hasty rewrite of the story. What other consequences did his departure have?
The box office impact
Both "Suicide Squad" and "Independence Day: Resurgence" were panned (the former has a score of 26% on Rotten Tomatoes, the latter 29%). However, "Suicide Squad" was a much bigger box office hit, earning $747 million while "Independence Day: Resurgence" only got $389.7 million. Accounting for marketing costs, "Suicide Squad" netted at least $100 million and indeed, reports described it as a profit booster for Time Warner. In contrast, "Resurgence" just barely broke even.
How these dice fell does lead back to Will Smith, at least to some extent. The man is one of the last remaining movie stars, armed with superhuman charisma and just below Tom Cruise in his ability to sell a project based on his name. Indeed, his mid-'90s run is what made him into a movie star; the original "Independence Day" boosted his career while he helped turn it into a smash hit.
By contrast, "Suicide Squad" was a property most people had never heard of before 2016. In keeping with the early fast-tracking of the DC Universe, the film was perceived as Warner Bros.' attempt to launch its own "Guardians of the Galaxy" and make an obscure team into stars (the studio even hired James Gunn to direct the "Suicide Squad" sequel/reboot). While Marvel Studios could rely on its brand to sell "Guardians," Warner Bros. frontloaded "Suicide Squad" with big names.
Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and the Joker (Jared Leto) were part of the ensemble, despite little history with the comic books' Suicide Squad, since those are two characters that the audience would actually know. Meanwhile, Smith brought the movie star bona fides. Note how Deadshot almost never wears his silver mask in the movie — the filmmakers really wanted audiences to know that Will Smith was in the movie, so no covering his face.
DC fans' enthusiasm probably helped the box office of "Suicide Squad," but among casual viewers, Smith's presence was a definite selling point.
Did Smith make the right choice?
"Suicide Squad" was, at least partly, a casualty of "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice." That film was released in March 2016, just months before "Suicide Squad," and it earned damning reviews and a record-breaking second-week box office drop. What was supposed to be the coronation of the DC Universe ended with the crown smashing to pieces on the ground.
Warner Bros. panicked, as film executives are want to do. "Suicide Squad" was hastily reshot and re-edited — the latter duty was performed by Trailer Park, who'd previously edited the film's "Bohemian Rhapsody" scored trailer. Director David Ayer's preferred cut is probably not some lost masterpiece, but my guess is that it would be more coherently edited than the theatrical cut was.
"Suicide Squad" didn't give Smith a superhero franchise like he probably wanted it to. For the sequel, he and Deadshot were replaced by Idris Elba as the equally lethal sharpshooter Bloodsport (whose generic assassin backstory was lampooned by the movie itself). However, Smith did star in David Ayer's next project, "Bright," another poorly received but apparently successful film.
Long-term and quality-control-wise, the options that Smith had in the mid-2010s weren't great. In terms of getting his payday, though, I'd say he played his cards as well as he could. That ended up being a gain for "Suicide Squad" and "Bright" but a loss for "Independence Day: Resurgence."