It’s been a good while now since we’ve heard anything about McClane, the planned sixth instalment in the Die Hard franchise, so it will come as little surprise to hear that the project has been shelved.
Announced back in 2015 with Live Free or Die Hard helmer Len Wiseman in the director’s chair, McClane was to serve as both a sequel and prequel, with Bruce Willis reprising his role for present day scenes and a younger actor portraying McClane as a rookie NYPD detective in a parallel story taking place in 1979.
“It’s not happening,” producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura confirmed to Polygon. “What was really interesting was we actually came up with an idea to do it. It was a project that wasn’t Die Hard that then, eventually, shifted over to Die Hard. What was interesting about our idea was it allowed you the ability to meet the young John McClane and use Bruce. So it was really interesting in that way. So you sort of got to see both versions of him. A bit [like The Godfather Part II].”
The rights to the Die Hard franchise are now owned by Disney following the Fox merger, and di Bonaventura went on to confirm that he has no idea what the Mouse House’s plans are for the iconic action franchise. Might we have seen the last of Willis’ John McClane? Would you like to see him back for another outing? Let us know on our social channels @FickeringMyth…