The Internet has led many to believe that a Die Hard reboot starring The Office's John Krasinski is happening...
Bruce Willis first delivered his portrayal of NYPD Detective John McClane in 1988's Die Hard, which holds an impressive 94% Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed almost $140 million at the global box office.
That movie saw McClane defeat German terrorists in a high-stakes Christmas battle at Nakatomi Plaza, with Die Hard then spawning four sequels between 1990 and 2013 - all of them featuring Willis in his iconic role.
John Krasinski's Die Hard Remake Rumors Explained
Now, a decade after the last Die Hard film, fans believe they're in for more from this franchise.
Rumors are spreading online that John Krasinski is starring as John McClane in a remake of Die Hard, taking over the role from Bruce Willis, with a poster for the movie making the rounds.
This poster features a bearded Krasinski wearing the same outfit Bruce Willis did in the original Die Hard - a bloodied white tank top and black pants - as the movie is teased for a December 24, 2024 release in theaters.
Unfortunately, this poster is fake, with the picture of Krasinski's face being lifted from a promotional shot of the actor in 2016's 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, in which he donned the same full beard.
At one point, the story was meant to continue with a prequel called McClane under 20th Century Fox after 2013's A Good Day to Die Hard, the last Die Hard film made.
However, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura (via Polygon) shared in July 2021 that development wasn't moving forward on the prequel due to Disney's acquisition of Fox, sharing how it "wasn't Die Hard" at first before changing to something else:
"Yeah, no, It’s not happening. But 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.'"
This movie would have utilized both a younger version of John McClane alongside Bruce Willis' older character, describing the film as "really interesting in that way" and comparing it to 1974's The Godfather Part II:
"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 2']."
A number of Die Hard 6 scripts were in consideration before Disney acquired Fox, but when asked about what would happen with John McClane and the Die Hard films, di Bonaventura said "I don’t know what their plans are."
Will Die Hard Remake Be Made?
As of writing, the John Krasinski-led Die Hard remake appears to be nothing more than a rumor based on this fake poster, with odds being high that the film isn't in development.
Following his work on Amazon Prime Video's Jack Ryan, which ended with Season 4, Krasinski is set to team up with Ryan Reynolds for a new comedy movie titled If.
He's also continuing his work on his A Quiet Place franchise, producing the A Quiet Place: Day One prequel movie while also potentially being involved with the upcoming A Quiet Place 3, currently set for a 2025 release.
Also important to consider is the condition of original Die Hard star Bruce Willis, who was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in February 2023.
Willis has over 20 different movie credits from the last three years alone, but due to the degenerative nature of his condition, it's unlikely that he'll have the opportunity to put out as many movies as he has in recent years.
The bottom line is that Die Hard appears to be at an end, but considering how many remakes and reboots are always in the works in Hollywood, fans will have their ears open for news on John McClane's possible return.
The Die Hard franchise can be streamed across various providers, including Hulu and Amazon Prime Video.
