‘Independence Day 2’: Survivor's Remorse Star Jessie Usher Is First Confirmed Cast Member of the Sequel to the 1996 Sci-Fi Classic

Jessie Usher, 23, who stars as Cam Calloway in Starz's pro basketball comedy-drama series Survivor's Remorse, is now attached to play the lead in Independence Day 2, the sequel to 1996 box office hit science fiction classic starring Will Smith. Usher is set to portray the son of Will Smith's Steven Hiller character from the original.

Independence Day 2 was given an official green light by 20th Century Fox with a release date of July 4, 2016. Dean Devlin and Harald Klose will be producing the project with Roland Emmerich who will also be directing. The script for the sequel that was done by Emmerich and Dean Devlin, then by James Vanderbilt, has been re-written by Carter Blanchard. Filming is expected to begin this coming May.

According to The Wrap, Liam Hemsworth, best known for his role as Gale in the Hunger Games films, has been offered to star in Independence 2.

Will Smith who got his first big break in the 1996 Independence Day already said he will not be returning for the sequel. His co-stars Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman though are expected to reprise their roles as David Levinson and President Thomas J. Whitmore, respectively, for the upcoming Independence Day 2 follow through film.

Independence Day, the highest-grossing film of 1996, earned an impressive $817.4 million worldwide. It is currently the 43rd highest-grossing film of all time. It follows the story of a group of people who converge in the Nevada desert in the aftermath of a destructive attack by aliens from outer space. Along with the rest of the remaining human population, they participate in launching a last-chance counterattack on July 4, the same date as the United States Independence Day holiday.

Usher's regular TV series Survivor's Remorse has been renewed by Starz for another season and will resuming airing sometime later within the year. He will also be seen in the TriStar football drama, When the Game Stands Tall, which will be hitting theaters in August.