'Independence Day 2' Cast: 'Hunger Games' Star Liam Hemsworth to Replace Will Smith? [Rumors]

Liam Hemsworth
Liam Hemsworth speaking at the 2013 San Diego Comic Con International, for "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. |

The sequel for the movie Independence Day will reportedly feature Liam Hemsworth as the new leading man, according to an exclusive report published in TheWrap.

The report revealed that the lead role for the film will no longer be played by Will Smith, which prompted speculation about the frontrunner for the role. Multiple sources claimed that Hemsworth, who has gained worldwide popularity for his role in the movie series "The Hunger Games," is the most possible candidate to replace Smith.

The sequel, which is said to be titled ID Forever, will be directed by Roland Emmerich, who also directed successful movies such as White House Down, The Day After Tomorrow, and The Patriot. Moreover, Emmerich also directed the first film in 1996, and is expected to handle the third installment of the movie in the future.

Meanwhile, Carter Blanchard was hired to write the script for the sequel. His previous works include Glimmer and another film in its pre-production stage, Near Death.

Originally, the screenplay was written by James Vanderbilt who penned several hit movies such as The Amazing Spider-Man films, The Zodiac, Darkness Falls, and The Rundown. Vanderbilt also worked with Emmerich in the widely acclaimed film, White House Down.   

While Smith is not expected to return, his co-actors Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum will be back to take the same role they played almost 20 years ago. The Pennsylvnia-born actor, Goldblum, has made regular apperances in television series throughout the years such as Portlandia, The League, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and Will & Grace.

Meanwhile, Pullman played varying roles in movies such as The Equalizer, Anarchy, Red Sky, While You Were Sleeping, Casper, and Scary Movie 4. He also took part in different television shows like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and 1600 Penn.

The Independence Day sequel will reportedly be released on June 24, 2014.