Bruce Willis Thinks ‘Die Hard 5’ Will Shoot In 2011

From MTV News:

Since 1988′s “Die Hard,” Bruce Willis has suited up as a crime-solving, justice-bringing, people-protecting badass in nearly 20 movies. While the 54-year-old actor begins to make the rounds to promote his latest turn as an onscreen hero in “Cop Out,” he’s also making plans to return to the franchise that made him a star. MTV News has learned exclusively that Willis expects to shoot “Die Hard 5″ in 2011.

“I think we’re going to do a ‘Die Hard 5′ next year,” Willis told us.

 Though vague chatter about another film in the franchise has cropped up here and there over the last few years — most recently while Willis was promoting “Surrogates” last fall — these recent comments represent the most concrete evidence to date that Willis is committed to reprising his role of John McClane.

The project appears to be in the early phases, but Willis does have some ideas about the story and who should be tagged to direct. “It’s got to go worldwide,” the actor said about the potential plotline. “That would be my contribution to it.”

His first choice to direct would be the man who last brought McClane to the big screen. “I would hire Len Wiseman right now,” Willis said. A vet of two “Underworld” flicks, Wiseman has not helmed a feature since 2007′s “Live Free or Die Hard.”

This news is kind of personal to me, since Die Hard is one of my two favorite movies of all time (the other is Ghostbusters, and incidentally in both William Atherton plays an intrusive prick and Reginald VelJohnson plays a cop, but then again there are a lot of movies in which William Atheron plays a prick and Reginald VelJohnson plays a cop).

The prospect of a Die Hard 5 leaves me conflicted, because part of me thinks they should leave it alone. The big appeal of Live Free or Die Hard was that it was in anticipation for 12 years. All of that buildup went into one movie, and if Die Hard 5 comes out in 2012 or 2013 (five or six years since the last movie), it wouldn’t have that level of anticipation. It would just be anticlimactic.

And the fact that Live Free or Die Hard was somehow as good as the first three was somewhat of a miracle. Rather than risk ruining the franchise, I think they would be smart to quit while they’re ahead.

But who am I kidding? I’d see a Die Hard 5 in a heartbeat. Even though I was terrified that the director of the Underworld snore-fests would ruin my childhood, I was encouraged from learning that he was a huge fan of the first film and practically begged Bruce Willis to direct, not to mention that Willis himself really wanted the right script. It wasn’t just a cash-in. I can only assume that if Willis and Wiseman reunite, the result could very well be another surprisingly good sequel.

It’s all still talk right now, but just like when I hear news of Ghostbusters 3, I shudder twice. Once, out of excitement. Then, out of fear.

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