Will Smith coming back for two Independence Day sequels?

Have the aliens from 1996’s mega-hit INDEPENDENCE DAY finally installed Norton Anti-Virus onto their computers, ready to attack Earth once more? Or will humanity be taking the fight to space? Whatever the plan is, it will apparently involve Will Smith and two sequels.

That’s according to IESB, whose “reliable source” tells the website that Will Smith is locked for INDEPENDENCE DAY 2 and 3. IESB says, “the plan would be to shoot both films back-to-back. Whether the studio opts to go the Matrix route and release the two films six months apart or do like the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels and split them by a year remains to be seen. According to our sources, if all goes according to plan, the sequel(s) could shoot as early as 2011.”

The word back in October of last year from Latino Review was that Fox wasn’t in the position (or willing) to spend the money to accommodate both director Roland Emmerich and writer/producer Dean Devlin, as well as star Will Smith who gets not only his $20 mil price tag but a cut of the gross. So what’s happened with Fox in the time since? AVATAR.

IESB says that these sequels would be Emmerich’s next projects after completing his William Shakespeare thriller ANONYMOUS, and Smith’s after either THE CITY THAT SAILED or MEN IN BLACK 3.

Since none of this has been confirmed yet, take it all with a grain of salt for now.