The aliens’ first invasion of Earth might have been thwarted by the best placed computer virus in PC history, but that did not prevent them from trying again. After stocking up on Kaspersky, installing a new firewall and making sure all security updates take place automatically, the E.T.’s are back, bigger and, well, bigger than before in Independence Day: Resurgence.

Also back for more is original cast members Jeff Goldblum (David Levinson) and Bill Pullman (ex-president Thomas J. Whitmore), which begs the question, where is that witty puncher of aliens, Captain Steven Hiller as played by Will Smith?

The shocking news is that it seems like Smith was reluctant to sign on to the project, if Cinema Blend is to be believed. After the failure of After Earth, Smith’s interest in Resurgence dropped since the story line contained a similar father-son connection. Smith doesn’t appear on the IMDB cast list either, with the Independence Day: Resurgence website (www.warof1996.com) explaining Hiller’s absence by noting that he was killed in 2007 while test piloting a new hybrid alien spacecraft. The question now is, how will Earth survive without Hiller’s valour and courage, and perhaps more importantly, how is the movie going to cope without arguably its biggest star? Or can this just be a case of the producers not revealing a full hand yet?

Hit play below to see whether Independence Day: Resurgence has what it takes to kill it at the box office without Smith. The moview will see a 24 June 2016 release in the States.