We've learned a lot about Die Hard 5 since the project was announced - early details pointed to John McClane (Bruce Willis) going to Russia to face his latest threat, McClane now having stronger family ties in the form a young son, and possibly Justin Long from Live Free or Die Hard as McClane's son-in-law (having married his daughter, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead in Die Hard 4).

One thing we haven't heard, though, is what title the new Die Hard will be sporting - but now we know: fans of the franchise can look forward to seeing if the ominous implications of the title, A Good Day to Die Hard, actually play out in the film.

The new title was revealed by FOX co-chairman/Chief Executive Officer Tom Rothman on Jim Rome's morning show. We got wind of it via a comprehensive report from the guys over at /Film - where they also posted a juicy list of early plot details from the film. You can check out that list below:

  • Shooting begins in January 2012
  • The sequel will be released on February 14th, 2013 (Valentine’s Day).
  • The story is set in Russia and begins with John McClane heading to Moscow to sweet talk some cops into letting his apparently-wayward son out of jail for something he did, but when he gets there, things surrounding his son’s arrest are not as they appear and world-threatening terrorist hijinks ensue.
  • McClane, Jr. has yet to be cast.
  • They still don’t know if it will be rated PG-13 or R.

This sounds like a typical bad day for John McClane, albeit set on a larger scale than previous films (each installment has upped the ante in terms of location and scope if you really look back at the franchise in its entirety). Of course, the presence of McClane's son suggests that the film is going for a 'pass the torch' approach - one that would likely see the aging Willis bow out of the franchise in favor of some younger blood.

As many movie fans know, the pass the torch tactic has been tried before in films like Indiana Jones 4, and the upcoming Ghostbusters 3. I think it's safe to say that not many fans are cheering for Shia LaBeouf to don Indy's fedora - nor is anybody especially excited for the iconic actors from the Ghostbusters franchise to hand off their proton packs to a group of young (and likely, less funny) actors. In the case of Die Hard 5, it really all depends on who they cast to play McClane's son. Some free advice: DO NOT make it Taylor Lautner.

A Good Day to Die Hard is going to be in theaters on February 14, 2013. John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines) will direct from a script written by Skip Woods (A-Team).

Source: /Film