They said it couldn't be done. They said it probably wouldn't be done. But by god the long awaited "Independence Day" sequel has been given a release date of July 3rd, 2015. And the people of earth rejoiced for they knew that there have been a lot of new monuments built in the 19 years between now and the first movie that are just ripe for detonation.

As you might recall, the original "Independence Day" starred Will Smith as a cocky fighter pilot, Jeff Goldblum as a nerdy scientist, and Bill Pullman as an improbably macho president, who all team up to take down the alien menace that is threatening earth via large, scary spaceships and worldwide mass destruction. It is unclear who will return for the sequel, although honestly, what exactly has Bill Pullman got going on? Most of the speculation has been centered around whether or not Will Smith will be back in the cigar-chomping role that helped establish him as a worldwide movie star and the undisputed box office king of July 4th weekend, with Pullman saying earlier this year that there are contingency plans for both scenarios. What about Goldblum, though? Doesn't anyone care about him? Perhaps he could tie the aliens up this time via a series of dazzling knots (or maybe just doily them to death).

At one point the plan was to shoot two "Independence Day" sequels back-to-back, but the release announcement makes no mention of a potential third movie. And honestly, wouldn't everything be said with two of these movies? It's expected that the original creative team of producer Dean Devil and director Roland Emmerich, whose absurd (and absurdly fun) new movie "White House Down," opens next weekend.

"Independence Day 2" is the latest in a series of blockbuster releases scheduled for 2015 that includes (but is not limited to) "The Avengers 2," "Jurassic Park 4," "Pirates of the Caribbean 5," "Ant Man," and "Star Wars: Episode VII."