Another long-awaited sequel is heading into production, but Independence Day 2 won’t star Will Smith.

Yesterday we learned that Blade Runner 2 will commence without Ridley Scott, and today we’ve got both good and bad news for Independence Day fans.

The 1996 action flick Independence Day continues to be a classic within its genre. Directed by Roland Emmerich, the film stars not just Will Smith, but also Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsch and more.

The sequel, Independence Day 2, has long been in development, and last night Deadline announced that 20th Century Fox has officially greenlit the film.

Production will start in May 2015, with a June 24, 2016 release date. That will nicely mark the original movie’s 20-year anniversary.

Fox is now working to close a directing deal with Roland Emmerich. He and original writing partner Dean Devlin penned the first draft of the script, which has since been re-worked first by James Vanderbilt, then Carter Blanchard, with the final draft done by Nicolas Wright and James A. Woods.

Will Smith made comments back in February about not returning for Independence Day 2, but now it’s official. Fox will begin the casting process once they’ve locked down Emmerich.

Independence Day sees Smith battle aliens alongside the U.S. President after giant spacecrafts appear over the world’s major cities. It’s a fun ride.

The sequel was originally envisioned as a two-parter, with the first half focusing on Smith’s character, Captain Steve Hiller.

But it looks like Fox is sticking to a single-movie script, with only one release date slated. The working title has been ID Forever Part 1, and will likely now be ID Forever.