With each progressive "Die Hard" movie — particularly after "Die Hard With A Vengeance" — the very core fundamentals of what made the original action movie special have slowly been stripped away. John McClane went from being a flawed, but loveable, working stiff cop caught up in an an extraordinary situation, to some kind of invincible super-duper police officer, who we last saw taking care of business in Russia in the godawful "Live Free Or Die Hard." And while domestic audiences took a hard pass on that entry, international audiences showed up in a big way, which is why ideas for "Die Hard 6" have been tossed around.
There have been a couple of rumors floating. One had McClane headed to Japan, another concept reteamed him with Zeus Carver, played by Samuel L. Jackson, from ‘Vengeance.’ Now, there’s another idea on the table that may be the least inspiring of them all.
Survive Hard: All The Times John McClane Should Have Died In The ‘Die Hard’ Series
"Live Free Or Die Hard" director Len Wiseman is working with producer Lorenzo DiBonaventura and Fox on a prequel that is being called "Die Hard: Year One." Sheesh. The idea is that the movie will go all the way back to 1979 and tell the origin story of how McClane "became a die hard kind of guy." Of course, this entirely misses the point that in the first "Die Hard" movie, McClane wasn’t "a die hard kind of guy." He was just a regular dude, which is what made his showdown with Hans Gruber instantly gritty and relatable. Meanwhile, Bruce Willis is being eyed to return, and would be featured in present day sections of the movie. Maybe in a rocking chair, recounting his adventures to the residents of a retirement home?
Screenwriters are being sought for the developing movie, and while there is no word on what the villain or their plan might be, nothing will top Fox’s villainous scheme to drive this character straight into the ground. [Deadline/Variety]
"the very core fundamentals of what made the original action movie special have slowly been stripped away. John McClane went from being a flawed, but loveable, working stiff cop caught up in an an extraordinary situation, to some kind of invincible super-duper police officer"
STOP PLAGARIZING MICHAEL SCOTT! i\’m only sort of kidding.
I clicked this with full expectation to post the rant that\’s in the latter half of the article. Now that I don\’t have to do that, I guess I\’ll say that like most who enjoy the pre-2000 era Die Hard films, I really hated everything A Good Day to Die Hard stood for. Hollywood\’s ill-fated attempt(s) to make Jai Courtney a thing aside, it reduced John McClane to essentially a sidecar character (a fatal flaw when the other characters he\’s surrounded by have all the depth of a wading pool) and was just a really dire pile of garbage from start to finish. In comparison, my view on Live Free or Die Hard is much less harsh, even though I view it as a weird limbo point for the series – so much that, if it didn\’t try to drill the fact that John McClane and a member of his immediate family were in it into my head at almost every opportunity it gets, then I\’d view it as just another one-off Bruce Willis actioner with a plot that feels both under and overdone.
Dummy comment 2
Every good catch phrase deserves an origin story. AND YOU CAN QUOTE ME ON THAT
Bad Idea jeans.
They have managed to turn this once Awesome Trilogy into an ATM machine just like \’Terminator\’ and \’Predator\’. Ruining my nostalgia and happy place as a kid.
Dummy comment
Live Free or Die Hard was the 4th one and had nothing to do with Russia. It was very well received and PG-13. A Good Day to Die Hard was the 5th one, in Russia and very much panned. It was rated R and Len Wiseman had nothing to do with it. I agree a prequel isn\’t the best idea.
What the hell? Len Weismann has ruined this series. The last 2 films were pg-13 (even though Live free was R it was PG-13 violence just was released right after sandy hook). I hate len wiseman. He is a sellout and a terrible director and this sounds like an awful idea. What we going to see John Mclane in the marines? Cuase he was you know. This is a dumb idea.