Latest news with #JohnMcClane
Daily Mirror
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Hollywood legend's 'bigger and better' action film streaming for free on BBC
Die Hard 2, the sequel to the 1988 hit action film Die Hard, is now available to watch for free online - and fans of the genre are in for a treat It's a rare find to come across film buffs who aren't familiar with Die Hard 2. This sequel to Die Hard is grander, costlier and more tumultuous. This 1990 action-packed spectacle continues the saga of detective John McClane and his extraordinary exploits. Directed by Renny Harlin and co-penned by Steven Souza and Doug Richardson, Die Hard 2 marks the second chapter in the Die Hard film franchise. The film stars silver screen legend Bruce Willis as the lead character John McClane, alongside a stellar cast including William Sadler, Bonnie Bedelia, William Atherton, Art Evans, Dennis Franz, Franco Nero, Reginald VelJohnson, Fred Thompson, and John Amos. The film is currently available for streaming at no cost on BBC iPlayer. Set a year after McClane's daring escapades in LA from the first film, Die Hard 2 sees the LAPD detective at Washington Dulles International Airport, awaiting the arrival of his wife Holly on an incoming flight, reports the Express. In a twist of fate, that's the very night terrorists seize control of the airport, causing chaos and threatening to crash all incoming flights unless infamous drug lord Ramon Esperanza is released. It's up to McClane to thwart their plans before his wife's plane is endangered. Created with a budget of approximately $70 million, Die Hard 2 proved to be a massive hit at the cinema, earning more than $240 million globally - nearly twice what its predecessor made. It became the seventh biggest earner at the box office that year. Die Hard 2 was succeeded by Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), Live Free or Die Hard (2007), and A Good Day to Die Hard (2013). Speaking about his involvement in creating the blockbuster during a 2021 chat with Empire, director Renny Harlin revealed: "When I look back, I think, 'Did I realise how young and inexperienced I was?' I was very passionate and confident, but not cocky, because I really had huge fears and doubts. We shot so much at night-time too, and I was just really stressed about not being able to sleep. So yes, I felt huge pressure." Describing the challenging elements of filming, Renny explained: "It's no secret the movie went over budget and over schedule. Not because we didn't plan things carefully - I was super-organised and responsible - but because it was the warmest winter in North America for, like, 60 years. So there was no snow anywhere. We were literally hunting for snow around the country and in Canada, while we were leasing this whole armada of aircraft." Achieving a 69 per cent critics approval rating, Die Hard 2 garnered mixed reviews, with one critic noting: "Packs plenty of punch, heavy-hitting adventure, and explosions galore." One critic drew comparisons to the original, remarking: "This disappointing followup to Die Hard has more action and bigger action, but considerably less suspense." Another reviewer lavished praise on the sequel, stating: "The filmmakers know the audience is challenging them to top themselves, and they've risen to the bait. Harlin and company build suspense the old-fashioned way. They earn it." Yet another critic enthused about the film's qualities: "Exquisite widescreen theatrics and explosive entertainment. It's an awesome machine of mayhem....a skilled sequel, a brass-knuckled bruiser of an action picture, and a sublime cinematic distraction." Die Hard 2 also received a mixed bag of reactions from fans, with one saying: "While they have ramped up the action sequences here, it lacks the claustrophobic setting of the original movie that helped make it an instant classic. Still an entertaining movie and one worth checking out." A different viewer offered a contrasting opinion: "Call me crazy but I think that this could be greater than the first one, and don't get me wrong the first one is a masterpiece of the action cinema but this one has more intensity, I don't know both are great movies." An additional fan shared their take on the sequel: "Still a fun Die Hard film but nowhere near as exciting as the first one. Very bleak, dark and ugly looking by contrast. Bruce is still great; full of energy and chaos. The villains were a little over the top and campy." For those keen to revisit or discover the high-octane thrills, Die Hard 2 is currently available for streaming at no cost on BBC iPlayer.
Daily Record
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Where to stream 'genius' action film with Bruce Willis for free
The film has been branded as both "iconic" and "genius" by fans A 'genius' action film that has become a fan favourite has been branded as "iconic" - and it is now available to stream at no cost. After the huge success of the original film in 1988, Die Hard 2 swiftly hit cinemas in 1990. With Bruce Willis reprising his role as John McClane, it rapidly climbed the popularity charts amongst audiences. Die Hard 2 sees John McClane (Bruce Willis) facing a gang of terrorists who are threatening an airport. Despite its August cinema debut, there remains considerable debate about whether the Die Hard franchise qualifies as festive viewing. The plot summary states: "Action-packed sequel. Off-duty cop John McClane spots suspicious activity at snowy Dulles Airport, where the fate of incoming flights falls into the hands of a rogue colonel, resulting in carnage before Christmas." Previously, viewers could access the film through a Disney Plus subscription. However, it's now available to watch without charge after being added to BBC iPlayer today (July 6), reports Surrey Live. Despite its older release date, the movie continues to captivate audiences as glowing reviews keep flooding in. With the film being described as "iconic" and "genius", one enthusiast commented: "Die Hard 2 is a great action movie, it doesn't surpass the first one, but it's an amazing movie." Another penned: ""Bigger, Badder, Better" said the movie poster for Die Hard 2 (Dieharder), and you know what, they're absolutely right. Swapping a Skyscraper and giving Police Officer "John McClane" (Action Star Bruce Willis) an entire Airport to play with is a genius idea, immediately upping the scope and scale from the first movie." A third added: "As always with all Die Hard films, truly iconic and legendary. A great sequel with a great storyline, soundtrack, comedy, action, emotion, and intensity. "A perfect family Christmas film to watch like the original, despite me watching it in April. With another, masterpiece and iconic performance by Bruce Willis, nailing his role as John McClaine as always." Over on Rotten Tomatoes, one critic commented: "My favorite Die Hard movie." Another commented: "Call me crazy but I think that this could be greater than the first one, and don't get me wrong the first one is a masterpiece of the action cinema but this one has more intensity, I don't know both are great movies." Die Hard 2 features Bruce Willis alongside Bonnie Bedelia, William Sadler and Reginald VelJohnson.
Engadget
04-06-2025
- Business
- Engadget
Summer Game Fest 2025 schedule, announcements, new games and everything else to expect
As if early June wasn't already going to be a wild enough time in the gaming world with the arrival of the Nintendo Switch 2, that's also when a whole host of showcases takes place as part of Summer Game Fest. Along with three main events — Sony State of Play, Summer Game Fest Live and the Xbox Games Showcase — there are a bunch of other ones in store, including the always-delightful Day of the Devs. There some brand-new showcases this year as well, while others are missing. For instance, Ubisoft won't be running its Forward event this time — perhaps because it has delayed a bunch of big games and isn't ready to talk about them. However, Ubisoft has teased that something Splinter Cell-related is in the pipeline and it's set to participate in IGN Live and PC Gaming Show. Meanwhile, CD Projekt Red popped up at Epic Games' State of Unreal event earlier in the week. To show off the capabilities of Unreal Engine, CDPR offered up a very pretty tech demo set in the world of The Witcher 4. It ran at 60 fps with ray-tracing enabled on a base PS5. Quite impressive. Anyway, as things stand, SGF is slated to run from June 4 until June 9. With E3 officially dead (that show's organizer, the Entertainment Software Association, is planning an industry-focused event for next April instead), SGF is now the de-facto replacement and the biggest event for announcements and updates this side of Gamescom in August. We'll update this preview as more details about the showcases emerge, including additional events in the SGF nebula. We'll embed videos for each stream as they become available as well. Engadget will be on the ground in Los Angeles for the in-person side of SGF, which is for media and creators. We'll be bringing you hands-on impressions of many of the games that are featured during SGF Live. Most folks will be keeping up with everything from home, though. To that end, here's a breakdown of how to watch Summer Game Fest 2025 and what to expect from the extravaganza (we're bound to get a Hollow Knight: Silksong release date this time, right?!?!). Sony State of Play — June 4, 5PM ET Summer Game Fest Live — June 6, 5PM ET Day of the Devs — June 6, 7PM ET Devolver Direct — June 6, 8PM ET IOI Showcase — June 6, 9PM ET Wholesome Direct — June 7, 12PM ET Women-led Games Showcase — June 7, 1PM ET Latin American Games Showcase — June 7, 2PM ET Southeast Asian Games Showcase — June, 3PM ET Green Games Showcase — June 7, 4PM ET Frosty Games Fest — June 7, 7PM ET Xbox Games Showcase — June 8, 1PM ET Death Stranding 2: On The Beach Live Game Premiere — June 8, 10PM ET Black Voices in Gaming — June 9, 12PM ET To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. As John McClane famously once said, "Welcome to the party, pal!" The latest State of Play was a last-minute addition to the SGF schedule. Sony announced it only a day before airing the showcase (in fairness, the company usually only gives a one-day heads up about these streams). The event will run for over 40 minutes and feature "must-play games coming to PS5" from developers based around the world. That suggests we'll see a variety of titles from Sony's third-party partners. Perhaps we'll get release dates for some previously announced games. Sony often makes it clear if a State of Play will focus on third-party games. It did not do so here. So it stands to reason that we may see something from the company's own studios this time around. Here's hoping! To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Putting aside our annoyance at the timing of this showcase — late on a Friday evening in the UK and right when many folks on the East Coast are clocking out for the weekend — Summer Game Fest Live is one of the bigger events in early June. It starts at 5PM ET and will run for two hours. Organizers are promising "spectacular new video game announcements, surprises and reveals." That's pretty compelling, especially since host Geoff Keighley (rightfully) downplayed expectations ahead of last year's show. We do know about a few games that will appear. SGF Live will include a trailer for the Death Star live event that will wrap up the current Star Wars-themed Fortnite season on June 7. There will be another peek at Mafia: The Old Country (which will arrive on August 80 as well. SGF Live will include a fresh look at Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, a Soulslike action RPG from Leenzee, a studio based in China. That game will arrive in July. Open-world MMORPG Chrono Odyssey will make an appearance, as will something from Atomic Heart studio Mundfish. Moreover, you can expect a surprise announcement related to Splitgate 2 , which goes live the same day. Oh, and Hideo Kojima will be there, of course. SGF Live takes place just a couple of weeks before Kojima's Death Stranding 2: On the Beach arrives, so we'll likely get another peek at that game before a more in-depth event on June 8 (more on that momentarily). Perhaps some of the other projects Kojima's working on will get some time in the limelight too. Keighley has released a list of SGF's partners. It includes big names such as PlayStation, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox, Steam, 2K, Epic Games and Square Enix. Embark Studios is on the list too, and given that there's a lot of hype around its upcoming extraction shooter, Arc Raiders , there'll be high hopes for a release date for that one. Capcom is on there as well — could it be time for a Resident Evil 8 reveal? Also, keep your eyes peeled for whatever Sega has to offer. We may see something related to Like A Dragon, Sonic, Persona or Virtua Fighter. Perhaps we'll finally get release dates for the remakes of Crazy Taxi, Golden Axe, Jet Set Radio et al too. You can watch SGF Live on more than 20 platforms, including YouTube (that stream will be available in 4K at 60 fps), Twitch, X, TikTok, Steam and international services. The event will stream live from the YouTube Theater, and you can attend in person, if you like. In any case, we'll be bringing you all the major news from Summer Game Fest Live. We just can't promise we won't have an adult beverage with an umbrella next to us while we're covering the event. Immediately after SGF Live ends, the YouTube and Twitch streams will segue into the summer 2025 edition of Day of the Devs. This indie-focused showcase invariably has a fantastic lineup of games worth keeping an eye on. Among the games making appearances are Possessor(s) from Heart Machine and "nightmarish RPG" Neverway from Coldblood and co-publisher Outersloth. We'll also see something from House House ( Untitled Goose Game ) — presumably the co-op "walker-talker" Big Walk that was revealed in 2023. In all, Day of the Devs will feature 20 games. Last year's show included 2024 game(s) of the year contender UFO 50 , the very intriguing platformer Screenbound , survival climbing game Cairn , the delightfully kooky-looking Building Relationships and sci-fi mystery Phoenix Springs . My Steam wishlist somehow expands quite significantly after each Day of the Devs showcase. Weird how that always happens. Sorry to everyone who was hoping for Baby Steps and Skate Story release dates from the SGF edition of Devolver Direct. This installment will be entirely focused on one game, and it's neither of those. Devolver Digital will be showing off a previously unannounced title called Ball x Pit: The Kenny Sun Story . The publisher hasn't revealed any more details about this game yet, but apparently it's one that the Devolver "team themselves can't even put down — hundreds of hours later." Devolver's got a strong track record, so this will probably be worth your attention. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. IO Interactive is running its very own showcase for the first time. Arguably the most exciting thing here is 007 First Light , the James Bond game that the studio has been working on for several years. The company has confirmed that we'll see a world premiere of the game this week. The smart money is on a teaser or trailer of 007 First Light popping up at at SGF Live before a deeper dive during the IOI Showcase. That's not to say IO Interactive is done with Hitman: World of Assassination . You can expect details about future updates for that saga as well as upcoming collaborations for the Hitman franchise. The stream will also feature MindsEye , a game from ex-GTA producer Leslie Benzies' studio, Build A Rocket Boy. This action-adventure title, which IOI is publishing, will hit PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on June 10. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Definitely don't overlook the smaller events that take place during SGF, as you can always find plenty of treats among them. One such event is the Wholesome Direct, which will feature around 60 cozy games. It will include world premieres, demo announcements and updates from publishers and developers including Playstack, btf Games, ustwo games and Wētā Workshop (whose Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of The Rings Game arrives in July). To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. This one does what it says on the tin. It's a showcase featuring games from women-led and majority-women studios. The Women-led Games Showcase will feature 39 titles, including world premieres and release dates. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. The Latin American Games Showcase will feature more than 50 games, all of which are from Latin American developers, oddly enough. Expect world premieres, game update news and more from this one. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. The Green Games Showcase is a new addition to the lineup for 2025. This will focus on the game's industry's "growing commitment to the environment." It will feature games that make direct contributions to green initiatives. Other titles in the showcase center around sustainability, and some are designed to raise awareness or drive action regarding environmental causes. Amazon Games, Skybound Games and Team17 are among those taking part. The stream will include a Q&A about how games can inspire meaningful action on climate change. There will also be a fundraising drive to help plant 50,000 trees. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. What's the over/under on the number of times the phrase "day one with Game Pass" will appear on this stream? That's one phrase you can definitely expect to hear, but Microsoft will have plenty to share here. It's the biggest Xbox showcase of the year. There will be reveals and updates from across Xbox Game Studios, Bethesda and Activision Blizzard. Games that the company has in the pipeline include Fable (2026), Perfect Dark, Gears of War: E-Day, Everwild, State of Decay 3, Clockwork Revolution, Hideo Kojima's OD and Contraband . It feels a little early for an update on The Elder Scrolls 6 since that game is still years away. But we may find out more about those other games and some we don't yet know about, such as whatever Double Fine and Toys for Bob are working on. I have my fingers crossed for more info on the Blade game that Arkane Studios is working on. It's a reasonably safe bet that we'll see something about the next Call of Duty here as well. There's always going to be space for offerings from Microsoft's partner studios and publishers too. Plus, you never know, we might get a peek at what Halo Studios has been cooking up. One game we'll definitely hear more about on June 8 is The Outer Worlds 2 . That's getting its own time in the spotlight, with a dedicated event that will start as soon as the main Xbox Games Showcase ends. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Kojima will join Keighley at the Orpheum Theatre in LA to kick off a world tour of events to celebrate the arrival of Death Stranding 2: On The Beach. There will be a panel discussion with some special guests, as well as a live demo of the highly anticipated game. In case you can't make it in person (ticket registration is open now), you can watch the hour-long event live at home. Meanwhile, several publishers and other organizations are hosting their own shows around SGF. Here's when those will take place: To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Future Games Show — June 7, 4PM ET, on YouTube (featuring more than 40 games) To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Frosty Games Fest — June 7, 7PM ET, on YouTube (showcasing "the coolest upcoming and recently released games made in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand") To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. PC Gamer 's PC Gaming Show — June 8, 3PM ET, on YouTube (with 50-plus games) To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Black Voices in Gaming — June 9, 12PM ET, on YouTube and Twitch To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Phew. Get ready, gamers. Details on many, many new games are coming your way very soon.
New York Post
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Why Frank Sinatra was offered Bruce Willis' part in ‘Die Hard'
Fans almost saw Frank Sinatra do it, his way. Although fans know Bruce Willis for playing the iconic role of John McClane in the 1988 action/thriller 'Die Hard,' it turns out that 20th Century Studios was contractually obligated to offer a certain A-list singer the role first. 'Die Hard' was adapted from the 1979 novel 'Nothing Lasts Forever,' written by former detective Roderick Thorp, and was a sequel to his first book, 'The Detective.' Advertisement 6 Bruce Willis in the 1988 action/thriller 'Die Hard.' ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection 6 Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis in 'Die Hard with a Vengeance.' ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection The first novel was already made into a film, the 1968 thriller/crime by the same name which starred Sinatra and Lee Remick. Advertisement Since the movie studio had the rights to the original book and its sequel before they were written for the big screen, they had to ask Sinatra first. He was 70 at the time and declined the part. 'Die Hard' also starred Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson, and William Atherton. Prior to landing the part of John McClane, Willis, 70, was only known for starring in the comedy series, 'Moonlighting,' opposite Cybill Shepherd. 6 Bruce Willis in the film 'Die Hard with a Vengeance.' ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection Advertisement The action star went on to reprise his role in all five 'Die Hard Films,' including: 'Die Hard 2' (1990), 'Die Hard with a Vengeance' (1995), 'Live Free or Die Hard' (2007), and the final installment, 'A Good Day to Die Hard' in 2013. In March, in honor of Willis' 70th birthday, his 'Die Hard with a Vengeance' costar Samuel L. Jackson revealed the advice he received from him on set. 'He told me, 'Hopefully you'll be able to find a character that, when you make bad movies and they don't make any money, you can always go back to this character everybody loves,'' Jackson, 76, told Vanity Fair at the time. 'He said, 'Arnold's got 'Terminator.' Sylvester's got 'Rocky, Rambo.' I've got John McClane.' I'm like, 'Oh, okay.' And it didn't occur to me until I got that Nick Fury role—and I had a nine-picture deal to be Nick Fury—that, Oh, I'm doing what Bruce said. I've got this character now.' 6 Frank Sinatra and his wife Ava Gardner in 1956. Getty Images Advertisement During the Vanity Fair sit-down, Bedelia, 77, who played McClane's ex-wife Holly Gennero in the first two 'Die Hard' movies, also took a moment to reflect on the cult classic. 'I think that he's basically underrated because he was a big box-office star. So that immediately works against you,' she explained. 'I think, in his mind, he always wanted to be an actor and to do interesting work. That's why becoming famous for such a huge, boffo movie was not expected from him.' 'But once he was there, it was kind of like, you know, 'I'm an actor,'' Bedelia continued. 'And I don't think he saw, in terms of the work, a lot of difference between them. One was not more important than the other, because he was getting to work with interesting directors, with interesting scripts.' 6 Frank Sinatra performing. Shutterstock 6 Frank Sinatra takes a break during a recording session. Getty Images Even Willis, who retired from acting in 2022, following his diagnosis of aphasia and then frontotemporal dementia in 2023, didn't know how big him or his 'Die Hard' character would be. 'I never expected to become this famous,' he said in 1990. 'I wanted to be successful as an actor; I never equated that [with being] famous and having your life story in every newspaper in the country. I just never thought that far ahead. And I don't know who does.'
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Die Hard With A Vengeance Is One Of My Favorite Action Movies, And I Guess I Have Steven Seagal To Thank?
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. When it comes to the Die Hard franchise and the best '90s movies in general, Die Hard with a Vengeance will always be at the top of my list. Admittedly, this was the first John McClane movie I saw (it came on HBO when I was like seven years old), and so I've always had a soft spot for Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson teaming up to save the 'Big Apple.' The frenzied New York City setting, the cat-and-mouse game, the big twists, the ties to the franchise's early days. All of it is just perfect. While I've known for years that this didn't start out as a Die Hard movie, I only recently learned that we saw this iconic version of it because of a classic Steven Seagal action flick. So, I guess I have the controversial actor-turned-musician-turned-sheriff to thank for it all. Here's why… The 'Die Hard on a [insert location]' trend took off like wildfire soon after Bruce Willis first played John McClane back in the 1988 franchise starter, but the series almost tried that angle out itself in the early 1990s. Following the release of Die Hard 2: Die Harder, 20th Century Fox made plans for another sequel, which wasn't going to take place in New York City, but instead on a boat. Yes, we were close to having Die Hard on a Boat. Back in late 1992, the Los Angeles Times reported that the threequel's original idea would have seen the grumpy, hungover, yet dependable detective attempt to save a yuppie cruise ship from a band of terrorists. In that report, it was also pointed out that this version was based on a spec script titled Troubleshooter, but more on that later. So, what ended up causing the studio to back off and pivot to what would become the 1995 blockbuster? Though a script was adapted and fine-tuned for Die Hard 3, and it looked like things were going to pick up steam, the project was abandoned at some point in 1992 because of a little movie called Under Siege, starring none other than Steven Seagal. In the same Los Angeles Times article mentioned above, the studio and film's producers decided that the similarly plotted movies – Under Siege centers on a U.S. Navy ship hijacked by terrorists – would have come out too close to one another and didn't want it to look like Willis was following in Seagal's footsteps. This also followed a trend of other movies that took a page out of Die Hard's book (Passenger 57 and Cliffhanger also came out in the months following Under Siege's success). I totally see why Willis, Fox, and the Die Hard 3 producers wanted to take a different approach to the franchise after the success of Under Siege, as well as the trend of similarly-plotted action movies at the time. However, I'm not going to lie and say I wouldn't want to hear John McClane say his famous line while swinging from a cable connected to a ship's smokestack or while taking out a terrorist by swinging on an anchor or something. John Milius, the man who wrote classics like Jeremiah Johnson, Apocalypse Now, and Magnum Force before directing quintessential '80s movies like Red Dawn and Conan the Barbarian, was tasked with working on Die Hard 3 after the original plans sank. I don't know about you, but the idea of Milius writing a John McClane story seems like a match made in action movie heaven, and it almost happened. According to the same Los Angeles Times article, Milius, who told the paper, 'We're off the boat,' was approached to make a non-nautical Die Hard movie at some point in late 1992 with the idea that it would shoot in mid-1993 and come out during the 1994 summer blockbuster season. There were some massive movies in '94, and Die Hard 3 would have been right in the middle of it all. Imagine two Bruce Willis movies, two all-time great action flicks, and more in the same summer. Bonkers! At some point, I can't really figure out when, Fox scrapped the Milius idea (I really want to know what this would have been about) and decided to just take an unproduced script that it owned, retool it, and make it into Vengeance. I've been aware that the movie started out as a thriller called Simon Says (that aspect remained in the finished product), I didn't know that it was originally supposed to be a Brandon Lee movie before the actor's tragic death on the set of The Crow. According to Comic Book Resource, Simon Says was pitched after the success of 1992's Rapid Fire, with Lee taking on the role of NYPD officer Alex Bradshaw and the character that eventually became Samuel L. Jackson's Zeus Carver being a female instead. But those plans were scrapped when Lee died in a freak on-set accident in 1993, and the script was put back in the pile before being turned into Die Hard with a Vengeance. Perhaps the craziest thing, however, I learned throughout all of this is that not only do I have Seagal to thank for Die Hard with a Vengeance, I also have him to thank for this absolutely insane Willem Dafoe death scene. Digging around, I discovered that the unused Die Hard 3 script from the early 1990s was later retooled and turned into Speed 2: Cruise Control. Though the story ended up being used for a random sequel to 1994's Speed (without Keanu Reeves) that is considered garbage by most, it still got to see the light of day. When speaking with Movieline back in 2001, John McTiernan, who directed the original Willis actioner and Vengeance, explained that most of the material that was developed for the aborted third installment was turned into Speed 2, including the iconic scene where the ship washes ashore, causing all kinds of destruction. See, it wasn't all lost. All in all, Die Hard with a Vengeance is one of my favorite action movies, my most-watched installment in the Bruce Willis action series, and a game-changing blockbuster. Maybe it's for the best that Steven Seagal had to come in and make a mess of things.
