FAQ

Will Smith was offered to reprise his role as Capt. Steven Hiller but negotiations eventually broke down between himself, Fox and the film makers. Depending on who you ask, Fox said Smith wanted too much money now he was a much bigger star but director Roland Emmerich said Smith had just done After Earth (2013) (which bombed) and was apparently tired of big sci-fi movies for the time being. Of course Emmerich might have just said this to protect Smith's reputation as a Hollywood nice guy but it could have been a combination of the two. Earlier in 2016 Will Smith did express his regret in not taking part in the sequel saying it would be very hard for him to watch.

In the first film Dr. Okun is attacked and 'possessed' by an alien. The alien is then shot to death and we see Dr. Okun laying on the floor lifeless with eyes open, apparently dead. But it was never confirmed. According to Dr. Okun himself (actor Brent Spiner) there was a shot filmed of the major (Adam Baldwin) kneeling over Okun's body and taking his pulse, the major then says to the President, "He's dead sir." This was cut from the film in anticipation of a sequel.