Irish film director John Moore, who is behind the new Die Hard film, A Good Day to Die Hard, has revealed that he turned down an offer to direct the fourth film in the franchise.
Speaking to Dave Fanning in an interview which will be broadcast on RTÉ 2fm tomorrow morning, Moore said: "There was a moment where '4' was on the table and I had a very long difficult night staring at a wall thinking are you really gonna' walk away from your dream, dream, dream directing job.
“But the story behind Die Hard 4 felt like a movie that they put John McClane in rather than a true Die Hard. So I just decided to hang on and hope to God I'd get another chance and I didn't for six long years and I thought, oh man I blew it."
The Dundalk born, Behind Enemy Lines director added: “You think you'll catch the next bus but it turns out that was the last 46A and you're stuck. But luckily enough out of nowhere, and I mean it, out of nowhere, there was a call last Summer saying ‘listen we are gonna try to get '5' up and running and you know, you're on the list.’”
In relation to the lead character, played by Bruce Willis, he said: "People try to work out why John McClane is the enduring action hero and the truth of it is he's not an action hero, he's just a character...the reason he's endured is because he's an everyman.
"He's just a cop doing his job."
A scene from A Good Day to Die Hard
As to the future of Die Hard, he said: "I think an audience would utterly reject any jaded attempt to hand over the name, the franchise, the title to some sort of next generation. You know, Bruce is John McClane. There never will be another actor to take on that mantle."
Listen in to the full interview on the Dave Fanning Show on 2fm tomorrow, Saturday February 9 from 10 to 12pm, where Moore also talks about the security that surroundsed the script for the new Die Hard movie. We're talking bodyguards and briefcases here people.
A Good Day to Die Hard is released on Valentine's Day, February 14.
