10 Movie Characters Cut From Sequels (In The Worst Way)

7. Captain Hiller (Will Smith) - Independence Day

Independence Day was pretty much the film that made Will Smith: he was already known before it, but he wasn't a blockbuster concern and that event movie really announced him as a charismatic lead. But then when it came to him returning for the belated sequel, he just couldn't make it.

Why He Was Written Out

Unfortunately for Will Smith, he's a busy man and that increased workload at the time led him to make the difficult choice between making Independence Day: Resurgence and Suicide Squad. In hindsight, that's the archetypal rock and a hard place distinction, but Smith made the choice EVERYONE would have in his position and went with DCEU's thrilling new property.

It didn't work out.

How He Was Written Out

The Independence Day film-makers basically Poochied him, killing him off between the films in a devastating accident (because people don't turn down your film and get to have a non-traumatic death, that's for damn sure). He had been testing a new alien hybrid fighter when an unknown error caused it to blow up.

That unknown error was Smith's decision not to return, which turned the sequel from a father-son piece into the ludicrous, glorious B-movie mess it ended up being.