Whenever Independence Day is on, we watch it. It’s a favorite in this house, so hearing that not only is a sequel in the works but that it will have some of the cast returning is great news for us. So yes, some of the cast is returning for Independence Day 2, but not all, or not as much as we would like.

In a recent interview director Roland Emmerich confirmed that both Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman are on board for the sequel, but not Will Smith, or at least not in the capacity of his former role due to budget. Here’s what Movies.com said when they pushed Emmerich on the subject.

It was reported that Will Smith is a little too expensive and too big a star to get back for part two (comments Emmerich reiterated tonight), though he elaborated a bit and said he still hasn’t presented Smith with the final product and hopes he can get him for a cameo to “pass the torch,” so to speak.

Is it too much to hope that he would do the movie just for fun? Probably.

We’ll keep you posted on the latest for Independence Day 2 starring Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum, slated to hit theaters July 3, 2015.