It’s always good news when we learn that William Fichtner has been added to a film, and one of the charter members of Empire’s 27 Per Cent-ers’ Club (actors who make a film 27 per cent better just by showing up and doing their thing) has joined the cast of Roland Emmerich’s** Independence Day 2**.
Welcoming William Fichtner to the cast of [#IndependenceDay2](https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndependenceDay2?src=hash) [pic.twitter.com/kQyN8B3hGz](http://t.co/kQyN8B3hGz) > > — Roland Emmerich (@rolandemmerich) [May 29, 2015](https://twitter.com/rolandemmerich/status/604344147353305088)
While Emmerich’s announcement carries no character details, Deadline has dug up that Fichtner will be a high-ranking general in the film, with the additional wrinkle that he’s also signed for two more movies in the Independence Day universe, which would expand his role. Though there had been chatter about two sequel films shot back to back when ID 2 was first mooted, that has since been scaled down to the one current sequel now in production. But there was obviously more story to tell, so if this first follow-up is a big success, expect plenty more.
Fichtner joins a cast that blends veterans from the original including Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Vivica A. Fox, Brent Spiner and Judd Hirsch, with newcomers to the franchise Maika Monroe, Sela Ward, Liam Hemsworth, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jessie Usher, Travis Tope and Joey King.
Before he helps battle aliens, Fichtner will be back as Eric Sacks in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2, which is out here on June 3 next year. Independence Day 2 is currently set to follow on June 24.