Sister Teresa called him Mr. McClane in the third grade, and now you will too. 30 years after the first Die Hard redefined both action and Christmas movies, the script for the sixth entry has officially been handed in. Originally said to be entitled, Die Hard: Year One, the origin story has reportedly been given a more elegant title: McClane.
“You can tell our intention by the fact that the title page we handed in says, McClane,” producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura revealed to Empire. “We want you to get invested in John McClane more than ever before.”
Written by Carey W. Hayes and Chad Hayes (the first two Conjuring movies), the script is being described as a sequel-prequel. Half of the film will follow a 20-something John McClane in 1976 as he’s just getting started in the NYPD, with the second half focused on Bruce Willis as a still badass 60-year-old version of the character.
(Read: Thanks to Die Hard with a Vengeance, I Can Stomach Violence)
“I don’t know how you do Die Hard without Bruce,” di Bonaventura added when asked about rumors the younger incarnation will get more screen time. “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.”
If the McClane title makes it all the way through to release, it will mark the first film in the beloved action series to not include the words Die Hard in the name. Either way, the movie will be helmed by Len Wiseman, the director of 2007’s Live Free or Die Hard who’s returning after John Moore took the reigns for 2013’s A Good Day to Die Hard.
