'Die Hard: Year One' is a planned action film intended as the sixth in the popular action series from the '80s. It seeks to explore John McClane's origin story and will feature the return of Bruce Willis to the franchise.
According to Cinema Blend, director Len Wiseman revealed some of his plans for the upcoming sixth film in the 'Die Hard' cinematic series. He said that the prequel/sequel will be set in New Years' Eve in the year 1979.
Wiseman explained, "We've never seen the actual love story. We know its demise, but we've never seen what it was like when he met Holly, or when he was a beat cop in '78 in New York, when there was no chance of him making detective. It's always been something I've been thinking about, and now we're doing it."
Bruce Willis is set to reprise his role as the titular and iconic protagonist John McClane although it remains unclear how much he will feature in the new film. The 60-year old actor and producer first appeared as the sardonic detective in the original film from 1988. He went on to star in four succeeding films in the franchise namely 'Die Hard 2', 'Die Hard with a Vengeance', 'Live Free or Die Hard' and the most recent 'A Good Day to Die Hard'.
According to Collider, Wiseman admitted that they are looking to cast an unfamiliar actor to play a young John McClane. He said, "It has to be somebody that has the swagger and the confidence, but also the charm, the wit, the charisma and the toughness. It's asking a lot, especially in somebody that's younger. It has to feel like the guy owns it, rather than is trying to put it on."
It was also reported by News.au that Willis will be doing more than just a cameo for John McClane's backstory. Wiseman insisted, "I wasn't going to do it without Bruce. I'm also not going to do it with Bruce being a cameo bookend gimmick... It's really working into the plot, with the '70s having ramifications on present-day Bruce... It intercuts in a very fun, imaginative way with present-day John McClane."
The director also added that they sought to explore the character's relationship with estranged wife Holly as well as the events that led him to being emotionally scarred. Actress Bonnie Bedelia played Holly in the first two films in the franchise.
'Die Hard: Year One' is a planned action film in the long-running franchise starring Bruce Willis as the lead protagonist John McClane. It will be directed by Len Wiseman and produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura.
