What You Need to Know About the 'Independence Day' Sequel

— -- The sequel to the alien invasion blockbuster "Independence Day" has an official title: "Independence Day Resurgence."

The new title was revealed Monday, almost a year ahead of the film's 2016 release, during a Q&A that was livestreamed from the movie's New Mexico set.

Director Roland Emmerich was joined by original cast members Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, Jeff Goldblum, Brent Spiner and Vivica A. Fox, all reprising their roles from the first hit movie, along with new cast members Sela Ward and Liam Hemsworth. Will Smith, the star of the first film, is not returning.

Without giving away any spoilers, the cast mostly talked about their characters and how they are getting ready for the second alien invasion which takes place in 2016 -- 20 years after the first one. And Emmerich addressed Smith's absence.

Here's what we learned:

The World Comes Together to Fight

"The world is different," Goldblum, whose character David Levinson is now the director of Earth Space Defense, told the audience. "We're all working in a beautiful way under not the best circumstances across borders. Borders are no longer relevant in the same way, and that's a very beautiful idea in the brotherhood and sisterhood of mankind."

They'll Have to Fight Without Captain Steven Hiller

That was the character Will Smith played in the first movie, which made him a bonafide box office draw. Emmerich explained that Smith was at first onboard with the sequel, which was to have a father-son element to it. But when "After Earth," starring Smith and his son Jaden Smith, bombed at the box office, Smith was no longer eager to sign on to another science-fiction story centered on a father-son duo.

Hiller Lives

But Smith's character will live on, through his son, played by young actor Jessie Usher, who plays Dylan Hiller. "He grew up in the world that his Dad saved...it’s a lot of pressure," Usher said during the press event. "He’s under that shadow, but it’s not a negative thing at all."

And Mom's Back, Too

That would be Vivica A. Fox, who gave the first film sizzle as the stripper Hiller falls in love with. Two decades later, Fox said her character Jasmine Dubrow "is no longer working the pole -- she was a stripper with a heart of gold." She's become a top hospital administrator with "a rock solid" influence on her son.

There's a New President

Fox's character isn't the only strong female. Sela Ward plays President Lanford, replacing Bill Pullman's President Whitmore, and she couldn't be more different.

"Thanks to forward-thinking, non-sexist, socially responsible Roland Emmerich!" Ward shouted to cheers from the crowd. "She's tougher, more decisive. Not afraid to use force. Sorry, Bill. It's a very different time."

She's Got Some Big Weapons, Too

Borrowing from the downed alien spacecrafts in the original film, the Earth Space Defense has developed new weapon systems that pack "a bigger punch," according to Goldblum. Emmerich showed off some of the sets and props that will be used in the sequel, including a forklift-like machine called a "moon tug."

The Driver of the Moon Tug

That's where Liam Hemsworth comes in. His character, a fighter pilot named Jake, has a lot to overcome in the sequel. "Jake lost his parents in the first attack, he grew up in an orphanage, and eventually joined the military and became a fighter pilot, and eventually became one of the best of the best fighter pilots," Hemsworth told the audience. "I think his ego kind of got in the way, he made a bad decision and put someone's life at risk, and he got the great job of driving this moon tug, which is basically a forklift on the moon."

How he returns to his pilot's seat, we'll have to wait and see when the sequel comes out next summer.