Independence Day: Resurgence War Of 1996 Featurette Released

20th Century Fox has released a new viral video in support of Independence Day: Resurgence.

The “documentary”-style look at the first film (here, the War of 1996) gives background for the upcoming movie, and helps to bridge the nearly 20-year gap between the release of Independence Day and the release of its forthcoming sequel.

Featured in the video is Jeff Goldblum as David Levinson, his role and the changes in his life between the first and second movie now revealed.

This isn’t the first such piece of viral marketing released; the same day the first trailer dropped, Fox release da viral website centered around the “War of 1996,” which gave clues as to what happened to beloved characters from the first movie…including the death of Will Smith’s character, Colonel Steven Hiller.

Having died in 2007 seemingly precludes Smith from making even a cameo appearance in the new film. His son Dylan, of course, is expected to be a character in the new film.

Independence Day was just the beginning. We always knew they were coming back. After that film redefined the event movie genre, the next epic chapter in the Independence Day universe delivers global spectacle on an unimaginable scale. Using recovered alien technology, the nations of Earth have collaborated on an immense defense program to protect the planet. But nothing can prepare us for the aliens’ advanced and unprecedented force. Only the ingenuity of a few brave men and women can bring our world back from the brink of extinction.