Sela Ward has signed on to star in 20th Century Fox's upcoming sequel Independence Day 2, playing the current President of the United States. No further details were given for her character, President Lanford, at this time. In the original 1996 classic Independence Day, Bill Pullman starred as the Commander-in-Chief, President Thomas J. Whitmore.

Bill Pullman will be reprising his role as Whitmore for the sequel, along with fellow Independence Day stars Jeff Goldblum (David Levinson), Vivica A. Fox (Jasmine Dubrow), Judd Hirsch (Julius Levinson) and Brent Spiner (Dr. Brakish Okun). New cast members include Jessie Usher, Liam Hemsworth, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Travis Tope, Joey King and Maika Monroe. No plot details have been confirmed, except that the story will take place 20 years after the events of the original Independence Day.

Roland Emmerich is directing from a screenplay by Carter Blanchard, with the director also producing alongside Dean Devlin and Harald Kloser. Production is scheduled to begin later this month on the sequel. Sela Ward recently starred in Gone Girl, and she previously worked with Roland Emmerich on the disaster epic The Day After Tomorrow.