UPDATE! Fox are denying Variety’s claims via Twitter.

This whole “A Good Day to Die Hard” thing already has my balls doing the sweat dance. For starters, they’ve hired John Moore, the director of rubbish like “Max Payne”, to helm the thing; the guy couldn’t direct his way out of a traffic jam. Next, they’re setting the film in Russia – now that’d be all well and good if it was a building in Russia or within the walls of a container ship or something but no, John McClane will be confined to… all of Russia. Wasn’t the idea of “Die Hard” that it be a cocksure everyman trapped in a squat space!? What Fox are clearly doing with this latest “Die Hard” film is trying to make it “less like the old one where Bruce had hair” and “more like Taken” – and the synopsis of the film backs up that claim : Basically, it has to do with McClane travelling to Russia to save his son, who has gotten into a spot of trouble over there. And no doubt, the yankee takes international relations to an all-new high. Or some shit.

You’ll remember that originally, in “Die Hard 4.0″ (or “Live Free or Die Hard”, depending on where you lay you hat), the computer geek character played by Justin Long was originally supposed to be John McClane’s (Bruce Willis) son. That, for some reason or another, was changed and Long’s character simply became an unrelated teen sidekick. Though Bonnie Bedelia wasn’t asked back to reprise Holly McClane (which is fucking ridiculous! We want to see that character again!), John did have family in that one : Lucy McClane, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead. And looking back at that particular film – which also skipped on the ‘confined space’ thing and had McClane skirting about all of Washington – WInstead may just have been the best thing in it. Naturally, she’s not coming back.
So who will be playing John Jr in “A Good Day to Die Hard”? One of the usual suspects by the looks. Here’s who Variety says Willis is either meeting with or testing with next week :

Apparently whoever gets the gig has the potential to spin-off into their own “Die Hard” flick, or franchise, later on – much like Jeremy Renner’s whole “Mission Impossible : Ghost Protocol” deal. If that’s the plan, then I wouldn’t be surprised if Fox will go for the biggest name of the bunch – Mr. “Fast & Furious”, Paul Walker.

But I dunno. So who’s your pick of the bunch? Anyone? Fuck, maybe they should just invite Kevin Smith to come back and play ‘Warlock’ again and he can get about Russia, knocking off red rogues? Or, hey! What about a computer-generated ‘Roger Rabbit’ like character? Imagine that and in 3D!? And with Nickelback on the soundtrack!