Ballerina director Len Wiseman recently entered the John Wick universe, but he has not forgotten his canceled plans for Die Hard 6. Originally serving as the director on Bruce Willis’ fourth outing as John McClane, 2007’s Live Free or Die Hard, Wiseman was selected in 2015 to return to the long-running franchise to helm a sixth Die Hard movie, dubbed McClane. However, when Disney acquired the rights to the franchise as part of their 2019 merger with 20th Century Fox, the project was placed on indefinite hiatus. Willis would later retire from acting in 2022 after being diagnosed with aphasia.

Speaking with IndieWire following Ballerina’s recent theatrical release, Wiseman reflected on what might have been the final Die Hard movie. Suggesting the film had a “cool script,” the director once had so much confidence that McClane would be pushing ahead that he would forego other opportunities, as he believed filming was close to commencing. Check out his comments below:

For four years I was working on what was supposed to be the last John McClane movie. It was such a cool script and such a cool idea. Other movies would pop up, and I’d be like, ‘No, this is going. We’re close.’ There were four years where I thought that movie was happening and then it didn’t.

What Len Wiseman’s Comments Mean For Die Hard’s Action Legacy

Wiseman’s Movie Could Have Offered A Much-Needed Course Correction

Serving as the role that would transform Willis from a romantic television lead to a bona fide big-screen action hero, the original Die Hard movie remains one of the most influential films in the action genre. While Willis would later go on to star in many other memorable roles, it is his tenure as the cynical New York City police detective John McClane that most fans would consider his most recognizable and oft-quoted character.

Unfortunately, however, many of the Die Hard franchise’s later installments would fall well short of the critical acclaim and popular appeal of Willis’ inaugural 1988 outing. With 2013’s A Good Day To Die Hard panned by critics and widely considered the franchise’s weakest entry, Wiseman was provided with a rare opportunity to give the series a much-needed course correction, one that could have potentially ended the franchise on a high note. Much as Wiseman notes about the movie’s script, the film’s intended premise may have also provided a way to harken back to the appeal of the first film.

Our Take On McClane’s Cancelation

The Movie’s Sequel/Prequel Premise Offered Something New

Originally compared to The Godfather Part II by producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, the initial idea behind McClane would have also introduced a younger version of the character during his rookie years in the 1970s. With the movie intended to switch between both past and present storylines, McClane had the potential to reintroduce a much more grounded version of the character, as opposed to the nearly invulnerable action hero that later films would attempt to transform him into.

Sadly, however, the plans for Die Hard 6 never eventuated, and the franchise now has no choice but to end on what is undoubtedly its most disappointing entry. While plans for a Die Hard prequel may eventually be resurrected in the future, any such project would now need to move forward without Willis’ involvement, potentially undermining any chances of success before it even begins.

Source: IndieWire