A self-confessed Die Hard obsessive has taken out a full page advert in US film industry bible The Hollywood Reporter pitching his own idea to revitalise the long-running action saga.
Deadline revealed last month that producers are planning a new instalment featuring 60-year-old Bruce Willis alongside a younger actor as battling New York cop John McClane. Much of the action would take place in 1979, showing McClane’s first forays into crime-fighting, with Willis as an older version of the character in the present day.
Fan Eric D Wilkinson, a producer and writer of independent movies, spent thousands of dollars from his savings to take out the ad, which takes the form of an open letter to Willis, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura and director Len Wiseman.
“I withdrew money I don’t really have from my savings to reach out to you today to tell you that I love the movie Die Hard,” writes Wilkinson. “Let me say that again … I LOVE DIE HARD.”
The screenwriter then proceeds to detail a movie in which McClane is framed for a murder relating to a case from his early days as a New York cop, and finds himself transported to a prison populated by dangerous killers and terrorists. When two of the latter mount a riot in an attempt to escape and embark on a plan for a huge attack on US soil, only McClane can stop them.
Wilkinson said his script would return the series to its less preposterous roots. “No surfing on trucks. No jumping off the wings of harrier jets. No car chases with super-size sports utility trucks driving ON TOP of traffic,” he writes. “[Just an] ordinary man [in] extraordinary circumstances.”
Interviewed by Gawker, Wilkinson said he did not expect to get a call from di Bonaventura, but nevertheless had no regrets about taking out the expensive ad. “Oh, I’m not going to hear from them. My chances are slim to none,” he said. “Would I love the opportunity to get in a room with those guys and really talk in detail about my idea? Absolutely. But realistically, this is going to trend for a couple days, and then I’m going to back to doing what it is that I do.
“It’s a demonstration of my passion. Listen, I’m a fan. There’s Star Wars fans, Back to the Future fans who build their own time machines, you know? I’m a Die Hard fan, and I said, ‘You know what, I just want them to make a good Die Hard movie. Here’s my idea, what do you think?”
Despite derisive reviews for 2013 instalment A Good Day to Die Hard, the five-film Die Hard series remains a key franchise for studio 20th Century Fox, having grossed more than $1.4bn (£900m) worldwide. Wiseman’s Die Hard 4.0 is the highest-grossing movie in the saga, having taken $383.5m (£248m) off the back of strong reviews.
