Until recently, Twentieth Century Fox’s plan to make a fifth Die Hard film was being overseen by director Noam Murro. But with his hiring onto the 300 sequel 300: Battle Of Artemisia, the studio had turned to John Moore with an offer to bring the next installment of the franchise to fruition. According to Twitch, who first broke the story, Moore has not yet made a decision, although the film “is essentially his to take or leave.”
Meanwhile, Deadline is reporting that Moore is just one of the name’s on the studio’s shortlist and that Fox hasn’t met with anyone yet to take over the director’s chair.Other names allegedly being considered are Joe Cornish (Attack the Block), Justin Lin (Fast Five) and Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive).
As for what form the movie will take, franchise star Bruce Willis has stated that since each successive movie has expanded its scope, a fifth film has “got to go worldwide.” According to Twitch’s sources, this is exactly what will happen in the screenplay being worked on by GI Joe: The Rise Of Cobra writer Skip Woods. Reportedly, John McClane finds himself and his son “drawn into a conflict with local forces” in Russia.
So we’ve got a Die Hard movie in development being written by the guy who gave us the wretched GI Joe movie and potentially being directed by the guy responsible for the very bad Max Payne and the The Omen and Flight Of The Phoenix remakes. This does not inspire much confidence.
I have to disagree with Willis and his notion that successive Die Hard films should get wider and wider in scope. As the franchise has done so, it has made each new film weaker and more diffuse. The first film works great in the confined space of a single building creating a unique tension but as the settings have changed to an airport, all of Manhattan and the entire Eastern seaboard there has been a lessening of that tension.
At this rate of widening the franchise’s scope, I can only imagine that a sixth film will be titled Die Hard Versus Predator.
