Die Hard 5: Any life left in the franchise?

Bruce Willis is back as the dashingly gruff and gutsy John McClane. And this time, he'll have a wayward son at his side

Bruce Willis
(Image credit: Johannes Eisele/dpa/Corbis)

It's been 23 years since off-duty cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) single-handedly fought off a dozen terrorists in a Los Angeles office building in the first Die Hard, and, true to its name, the franchise still won't die. Fox Filmed Entertainment's Tom Rothman has announced that a fifth Die Hard will hit theaters, mercilessly, in February 2013. In the new film, A Good Day to Die Hard, McClane jets to Russia to get his son out of jail. But, according to the announcement, "things surrounding his son's arrest are not as they appear and world-threatening terrorist hijinks ensue." Is this welcome news for action-movie fans, or has the franchise already had its day?

Sounds good... sorta: "I'll give this news a muted "yippee-ki-yay," says Drew McWeeny at HitFix. Russia? A son in trouble? Hey, "I guess if you're going to keep making Die Hard films, the only way to do it is to get bigger and bigger and broader and broader." I just hope Willis finds someone suitable to play his son, "because so much of the film will hinge on whatever chemistry they have together."

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