We learned earlier today that the 5th installment in the Die Hard franchise will heavily feature McClane’s son – John McClane Jr. So the next obvious question is: Who merits the right to carry the family name? I loved the casting of Mary Elizabeth Winstead as ‘Lucy McClane’in the 4th movie, can they as well with her brother?
So in my anticipation for this latest addition to Action Cinema’s greatest franchise ever, here are some of my humble suggestions for the casting director…
Michael Pitt
Born April 10th, 1981: 26 yrs Younger than Willis, 8 years old when the first movie was released.
Pitt, the star of HBO’s Boradwalk Empire has proven there he has the acting chops to be considered for a major film role. And while Boardwalk is a significant departure from his prior roles, many of which wouldn’t scream ‘badass’, you can’t deny the presence and believability HBO has given him in terms of being man enough to be called a McClane. Pitt is the oldest guy on my list, but if it were me, he’d be the first guy I called in for a screen test…
Garrett Hedlund
Born September 3rd, 1984: 29 Yrs Younger than Willis, 5 years old when the first movie was released.
Hedlund made a name for himself last year with his role in TRON: Legacy, but he had done his share of action movies before that, including Death Sentence, Troy, and Four Brothers. He’s the right age and has the necessary pedigree to handle the role. Something like this, along with the rumored 3rd TRON movie could turn him into a household name, and that prospect could be attractive to FOX. Plus he seems likable…
Thomas Dekker
Born December 28th, 1987: 32 Yrs Younger than Willis, 2 years old when the first movie was released.
Dekker starred on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles as the boy who would become the man who would lead the human resistance against the machines – John Conner. And while during the first season he seemed an unlikely hero, I thought he really started to come into his own as the show progressed. Since then he’s appeared in 10 projects, including the A Nightmare on Elm Street remake and has 3 more on the way. And while he will probably be the least popular suggestion of mine, I can see potential…
And finally, if he was about 5 years younger I think Logan Marshall-Green would’ve been perfect, but he’s probably just a little old…
So those are my picks, what about you?