Bill Pullman is stepping back into a fictional Oval Office, starring as the President of the United States in the new NBC comedy "1600 Penn." Today, CraveOnline caught up with the actor and managed to get an update on Pullman's other famous Presidential role, that of Thomas Whitmore in Independence Day. Pullman says that the long-awaited sequel to the 1996 film could soon finally see the light of day and that plans are being made to tackle the story with or without Will Smith's involvement.

“The Will Smith part of it may be ongoing," Pullman says, "but I think there’s strategies for both. I like what I have to do in both of them. I’m not in an old age home in a wheelchair being wheeled out for one more moment. It’s a very interesting conception of what happens to Whitmore between then and when it picks back up.”

Pullman goes on to say that production on a sequel could begin "within a year" and that there should be no problem shooting around his "1600 Penn" schedule. Although optimistic, the actor remains somewhat cautious about the project's chances.

"Nobody’s holding their breath," he says, "because it’s been continually plagued.”

You can check out ComingSoon.net's recent conversation with producer Dean Devlin regarding the sequel by clicking here.