The first three Die Hard films were released at pretty standard intervals, with Die Hard hitting theaters in 1988, Die Hard 2: Die Harder in 1990, and Die Hard With a Vengeance in 1995. Then in 2007, Live Free or Die Hard premiered, a full 12 years after its predecessor.
A ridiculous film in which Bruce Willis as NYPD detective John McClane jumps off a crumbling bridge onto a speeding fighter jet, Die Hard 4 was critically and financially well-received, so of course a sequel is in the works. Len Wiseman, who directed the fourth installment, isn’t on board for number 5. Neither is Noam Murro, who was attached to direct in June, but has abandoned the project since taking the helm on the 300 prequel, Xerxes (aka 300: Battle Of Artemisia).
Twitch Film reports sources say John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines) has been offered the director’s chair on Die Hard 5, and the it will reportedly be set largely in Russia. John McClane and son (possibly Justin Long as McClane’s son-in-law after the events of the previous film?) are reported to be involved in some sort of local shenanigans. Undoubtedly a good deal of gunplay and action movie one-liners will ensue.
Live Free or Die Hard is, to date, the most financially successful film in the franchise. It’s also the only one released into theaters with a PG-13 instead of an R rating. I won’t be surprised if 20th Century Fox pushes for the teen-friendly rating again in an attempt to bring all those high schoolers back into the theaters.
As for when it’ll be in theaters, it is rumored for 2012, but we highly doubt that.
What’s your favorite Die Hard movie? Does the McClanes in Russia sound promising?