Bruce Willis and the Die Hard franchise have been inseparable since Willis first appeared as John McClane in the first Die Hard back in 1988. With the actor getting older, the Die Hard franchise looks to turn its focus onto a younger version of the John McClane character - with the upcoming Die Hard: Year One (as it's currently known).
As news broke that the sixth Die Hard movie will be a prequel/origin story for John McClane, the general fan reaction to the news was overall fairly negative. While rumors did include that Willis would still be apart of the new movie, it begged the question whether the actor would be okay with sharing his iconic role with another actor.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight promoting his new film Rock the Kasbah, Willis shared his thoughts on the Die Hard prequel:
"It's a very good idea, a really tricky idea, and I'm very happy about it. It's a really cool idea, because it's the origin story. It's gonna happen at the beginning of this. We're going to bounce back and forth."
When ET asked Willis who he envisions as the younger John McClane, the actor has no suggestion, but said that “we're not there yet" - adding that he hopes for the sake of whoever does land the role, "he's got a hard head."
The Die Hard franchise has been trying for the past few years to transition away from Willis’s McClane to a younger actor, after Willis has made comments he wants to be done with Die Hard after the sixth film. 2013’s A Good Day to Die Hard featured actor Jai Courtney (Terminator: Genisys), who played McClane’s son, Jack, in an attempt to focus on a new character in the Die Hard series. Unfortunately, critics panned the movie and the sixth movie will probably not be bringing back Courtney’s character.
As with other movies like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, trying to pass the mantle to a younger actor often does not work with fans, which results in lesser movies in the franchise. The new Die Hard prequel may attempt to find the next John McClane - but if history is anything to go by, that should prove to be a rather difficult task.
We'll bring you more information on Die Hard 6/Die Hard: Year One as it becomes available.
Source: Entertainment Tonight