Aw, was Mr. Smith holding onto hope.

Dumbass

Will Smith Reveals 'Terrible' Moment He Found Out His Independence Day Character Was Killed Off!

This shocking death was a surprise to many, including Smith — who "had talked" to director Roland Emmerich about working together on a sequel. He told Yahoo! Movies:

   

"I was working on Suicide Squad during that time… The trailer looks really cool. I'm going to be sitting around with tears in my eyes when that one comes out… It was terrible when I found out my character died."

According to a fake newspaper headline on the website, Smith's character died in 2007 from "an unknown malfunction" while test piloting an alien hybrid fighter.