Will There Be Another Die Hard Movie?
There are no active plans for another Die Hard movie with the health of Bruce Willis declining.
Since the first Die Hard film premiered in 1988, the Bruce Willis-led franchise has been a worldwide hit. Though none of the sequel films have been able to truly capture the magic of the original, there have been five installments in the Die Hard franchise, with a prequel comic book series that was originally slated to be adapted into a feature film. With Bruce Willis announcing his formal retirement from acting, there are currently no concrete plans for another Die Hard film.
With Bruce Willis announcing his formal retirement from acting, there are currently no concrete plans for another Die Hard film.
After the disappointment of the fifth film, there were many talks about reinvigorating the series. Fox had long held discussions regarding a possible crossover event between Die Hard and the hit television series 24, though contract negotiations never allowed for the project to happen.
Additionally, there were rumors of Live Free or Die Hard director Len Wiseman adapting the eight-issue comic series Die Hard: Year One into a feature film, though the production was scrapped during the acquisition of 2oth Century Fox by Disney.
Wiseman has since gone on to work on the John Wick franchise, though Disney seems to have no interest in reviving the Die Hard series. Perhaps it’s for the best, as the franchise has seen diminishing returns with legacy sequels, as well as the recent news of Bruce Willis’ declining health. Never say never, but at this time, there are no new Die Hard projects in development.
Die Hard has gone down in history as one of the greatest action films to ever be made…
The original Die Hard has gone down in history as one of the greatest action films to ever be made, spawning a litany of parodies and homages from other films and television shows, as well as a decades-long debate about whether or not the film qualifies as a Christmas classic. The movie stars Bruce Willis as John McClane, a foul-mouthed slick-talking New York City police officer who attempts to make amends with his estranged family at an office holiday party.
After a team of terrorists seize the party in an attempt to rob the building, McClane resolves to take down the terrorists, save the hostages, and prevent a bloodbath, all while trapped in the building’s air vents without a pair of shoes.
The original Die Hard‘s cast includes the late Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber, the leader of the terrorist cell, and one of cinema’s greatest-known antagonists. The film also represents Bruce Willis’ first major film role, as he previously worked mostly in television.
Apparently casting Bruce Willis in the lead was a major sticking point for the production studio, who wanted Die Hard to star a traditional action hero such as Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone. Of course, after the film launched Willis to stardom, it’s hard to imagine any other actor bringing John McClane to life.
Only two years after the original film premiered, Die Hard 2 hit the scene, serving as another pseudo-Christmas film. In the second installment, McClane must once again defeat a team of armed intruders on Christmas Eve. On this occasion, a militia of hired guns have stormed the Washington Dulles airport with the intention of freeing a Latin American dictator set to arrive at the airport, holding everyone in the building hostage while shutting down all communications with active flights.
Though Die Hard 2 made money for the studio and opened to generally favorable reviews, the film lacked the cultural staying power of the 1988 original, failing to become a cultural staple.
The third film in the franchise, 1995’s Die Hard with a Vengeance, served as something of a return to form, with action filmmaker John McTiernan returning to direct. The third film served as something of a return to form for the franchise, and is often referenced as the second best installment of the series.
In Die Hard with a Vengeance, Samuel L. Jackson joins the cast as Zeus Carver, a Harlem shopkeeper who aides John McClane on his journey to discover and stop a violent terrorist known only as “Simon” from robbing the Federal Reserve.
In order to best Simon, McClane engages in a twisted game of “Simon says” with the terrorist, before learning that Simon is the brother of Hans Gruber, who McClane killed in the climax of the first film. For years after the film premiered, it seemed that the chapter was finally closed for the Die Hard series, though the franchise would eventually be resurrected for a pair of ill-advised films over a decade later.
2007 brought with it Live Free or Die Hard, a fourth film in the franchise, which takes place on the day of American independence, July 4. The film features yet another terrorist cell attacking the United States, this time by hacking into federal databases of public works such as traffic lights, water, and suburban electricity.
The film features some cameo appearances from big names such as Justin Long, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and even Kevin James, who would later go on to collaborate with Bruce Willis again by directing the 2010 film Cop Out.
Finally, audiences were treated to a fifth and, for the time being, final installment of the franchise in 2013’s A Good Day to Die Hard. This film centers on McClane’s estranged son as portrayed by Jai Courtney, and follows a convoluted plot about exposing a Russian oligarch with financial ties to government corruption around the world.
The film featured one of Willis’ most exhausted and checked-out performances yet, opening to mostly negative reviews from critics and fans alike.
Where we stand now, regarding the Die Hard franchise is that nothing is in the works and if anything ever happened again, it would need to be a full reboot.
