The charmingly gawky movie star you like is going to come back in style. Ever since Roland Emmerich announced the sequel to his 1996 alien invasion blockbuster Independence Day, fans have been debating the most hot-button aspects of the production. Will the movie work without the presence of noted alien puncher Will Smith? Will our heroes now require a Google Chromecast to defeat the alien mothership? And, of course, most crucially: Will famous actor Jeff Goldblum still resemble famous actor Jeff Goldblum?
Concerns about that last question were finally answered this week, as producer Dean Devlin posted a selfie from the set featuring himself alongside the redoubtable Goldblum. Any fears that Goldblum may have given himself a She’s All That-style makeover during the 20-year interim between films can now be allayed.
What other mysteries can we solve with this beguiling photo? It seems safe to say that the new film will take place entirely in front of an aquarium tank, the cool blue hues saturating David Levinson as he races to solve the riddle of how to defeat this new wave of aliens. There will apparently also be some Charlie Kaufman-esque meta-narrative, given that Devlin refers to “Hanging with David Levinson,” suggesting there will be a movie-within-the-movie in which aliens not only turn out to be real, but that they directed the original film. It’s almost too obvious. Be more careful with your set photos, Dean Devlin; this one is leaking plot details like a sieve.