Update: Emmerich has confirmed that Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum will be making a return. Read the original story below.

Now that the summer movie season and 90s nostalgia are both in full swing, it’s only appropriate that Independence Day would pop up in the news. Almost two decades after Roland Emmerich’s alien invasion blockbuster hit theaters, an official release date was announced for the sequel. Naturally, the next question is which members of the original cast will board the film, and we have confirmation that one star is a no go.

In an interview with the Daily News, Emmerich – who is currently promoting his upcoming film White House Down – revealed that Will Smith will not join Independence Day 2, or, as it’s known by its tentative title, ID Forever, Part I. The director went on to explain why the leading man won’t return, citing that he’s “too expensive, but he’d also be too much of a marquee name.” Speculation has surrounded Smith’s involvement in the film since the project first began, and rightly so – Independence Day started the young actor on a path to superstardom that continues to this day. However, considering that many of his film choices since then have required him to fight aliens, including the recent box office bomb of which, After Earth, maybe it’s time to end this type casting.

While Emmerich didn’t mind affirming Smith’s absence, he’s still tight-lipped about the plot. He hinted at an unusual plot and joked at the possibility of aliens in the new film, but divulged little else – once The Amazing Spider-Man James Vanderbilt is done putting the final touches on Emmerich and producer Dean Devlin‘s original script, maybe we’ll get some more information.

Independence Day 2 is set to release on July 3rd, 2015.

Are you disappointed to hear that Smith will not appear in Independence Day 2?

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