The ‘Die Hard 6’ Title Is Now ‘McClane’

Die Hard 6, the unnecessary Die Hard prequel/sequel, has a new name. The working title for the latest Bruce Willis action flick was Die Hard: Year One, but you can now officially call the movie McClane. The film will follow both the present-day John McClane in his 60s, and a younger, 20-something McClane just starting out on the force.

Empire has the news about the new Die Hard 6 title. “You can tell our intention by the fact that the title page we handed in says, McClane,” says producer Lorenzo diBonaventura. “We want you to get invested in John McClane more than ever before.” Rumors have circulated that the film – previously titled Die Hard: Year One – would be almost entirely a prequel, with a new, younger actor playing bad-luck cop John McClane, delegating original star Willis to an extended cameo appearance. But producer diBonaventura says that’s just not true, and that Willis and the yet-to-be-cast younger actor are going to have the same amount of screentime:

“I don’t know how you do Die Hard without Bruce…The idea that he’s not very significant in this movie is not accurate at all. We are gonna explore John McClane in his twenties. But just as prominent is the 60-year-old version.”

Based on the previous Year One title, it’s likely McClane will be drawing inspiration from the eight-issue comic book limited series Die Hard: Year One, written by Howard Chaykin and illustrated by Stephen Thompson. Here’s the synopsis of the comic:

Every great action hero got started somewhere. Batman Begins. Bond had his Casino Royale. And for John McClane, more than a decade before the first Die Hard movie, he’s just another rookie cop, an East Coast guy working on earning his badge in New York City during 1976s Bicentennial celebration… and the Summer of Sam. Too bad for John McClane, nothing’s ever that easy.

Chad Hayes and Carey W. Hayes co-wrote the film’s script, and Len Wiseman, who directed Live Free or Die Hard, is set to helm. There’s always the chance that McClane will breathe new life into the dwindling Die Hard franchise, especially if they find the right actor to play young McClane (is Joseph Gordon-Levitt available?). I also love the idea of McClane running around a dirty, gritty New York City while the Son of Sam is on the loose (if the film is indeed keeping that plot point).

At the same time, a Die Hard prequel goes against everything that made the original Die Hard so special. Based on that film, the events at Nakatomi Plaza were among the first action-packed moments of cop John McClane’s life, and he was improvising as he went along. He was a fish out of water, out of his element and dealing with terrorists. To delve into his backstory seems like a mistake. Then there’s the fact that there hasn’t been a good Die Hard sequel since Die Hard With a Vengeance in 1995. Is there really any life left in Die Hard? I guess this film will answer that question once and for all.

McClane is set to being production soon.

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