Film freaks like to complain about remakes and sequels, but Hollywood has been doing this since the dawn of talkies (go and count the many Tarzan films made in the 1920s and 30s). So if we had to narrow down the list of a much-beloved action franchise we think could use another installment, it would have to be… James Bond! Wait, and Die Hard! (Okay, two.)
Which is why this rumor from The Playlist [via What’s Playing] is so much fun. The fifth chronicle of the adventures of Bruce Willis‘ increasingly annoyed New York cop John McLane – evidently with the working title Die Hard 24/7, which sounds more like a reality show and makes no sense at all (reference this Film Stage article by John Luchetti regarding the most ridiculously misleading sequel names) – may feature another sibling of Hans Gruber, the sinister, so-slick-he’s-oily thief played by the great Alan Rickman in the original film.
I agree with The Playlist’s assertion that Hans was the best villain in the series. Die Hard 2 had a savage (yet unmemorable) William Sadler as Colonol Stuart, whose deeply weird introduction featured him doing tai chi moves in the nude. Die Hard With A Vengeance‘s baddie was Simon Gruber, brother of Hans and hammed to the hilt by Jeremy Irons. And while I thought Live Free or Die Hard was kind of underrated, it did feature a simpering weenie hacker played by Timothy Olyphant.
So another Gruber? Well, why the hell not? Although I have to say I love this idea by a Playlist commenter identified only as PL:
I say Fox should just embrace the stupidity this franchise has reached, go all out and make the villain Hans Gruber’s CLONE! Rehire Alan Rickman & you’re certain to make a better film than the last few.
What do you think? A Hans clone? A Gruber sister maybe, played by Demi Moore?