While “The Dark Knight Rises” signaled Christopher Nolan’s latest embrace of humor in the summer action blockbuster, audiences looking for that trend to continue throughout other franchises would be wise to look elsewhere. Another director recently revealed exactly which direction he would take the fifth “Die Hard” installment, “A Good Day To Die Hard,” and it doesn't sound terribly promising.
As questions surrounding the John Moore-helmed film have moved on from the project’s reason for existence to simply how severe the inevitable damage to the franchise will be, the director has shed some light on whether Bruce Willis’ latest adventure will retain the series' trademark humor. "No, because that’s preposterous!” Moore said in an interview with Empire. “I don’t know whether it’s post-financial crash or whatever, but I don’t think people are in the mood for that bollocks anymore. People are well savvy to the cynical reheating of any product, any franchise. Any shit won’t do. The bar’s a bit higher." Strong words, but as more plot details are revealed around John McClane’s Moscow-centric partnership with his son (Jai Courtney) to take down Russian villains (played by Cole Hauser, "The Lives Of Others" star Sebastian Koch and model/actress Yulia Snigir), Moore at least looks to improve on his previous efforts, “Behind Enemy Lines” and “Max Payne.”
Even with his obvious knowledge of the series, Moore continued to explain his approach as though the “Die Hard” films were conceived as comedies first. "There are a couple of great gags and a couple of great McClanisms. It’s not like he's this idiot, bumbling around Moscow making ‘America won the Cold War’ jokes. It’s not 'Carry On Die Hard,' I can assure you…" While of course he shouldn’t discount the section of “Carry On…” fans who love a good action romp, he is also doing a fantastic job of sucking all the air out of his pitch for a worthwhile sequel while he's at it. “Live Free or Die Hard” dipped into self-serious tedium far too often, and with Willis divining into a plot that seems like it was rejected from a “Salt 2” draft, all we can say is that hopefully “Looper” follows through on giving the actor some worthwhile screen time.
Still, with the promise of the film being the most international yet, boasting a “car chase through Moscow that’s taking us 78 days to shoot,” Moore is confident that his film will make the grade, and you can find out for yourself when it hits theaters Valentines’ Day next year. [Empire]
