Frank Sinatra was originally offered the lead role for Die Hard

[Guestx]

True story. Ol' Blue Eyes was originally offered the lead role for Die Hard . . . because the studio had to.

According to Business Insider:

So, how did Frank come to be considered for the role? It all started with an author named Roderick Thorp. You might not know it, but the Die Hard movie was based on a book called Nothing Lasts Forever by Thorp, which was published in 1979. The LA Times reviewed the book, saying it was “A ferocious, bloody, raging book so single-mindedly brilliant in concept and execution that it should be read at a single sitting.” This book is really what made Thorp a big name, but he was on the publishing scene much earlier.

It turns out that Nothing Lasts Forever is actually a sequel to a book called The Detective, published in 1966 which was made into a movie of the same name in 1968. The movie starred—you guessed it—Frank Sinatra as the main character, Detective Joe Leland.

The book was extremely popular, remaining on bestseller lists for a while and making a name for Thorp; the movie also did well in the box office. It was described as “gritty” for its time, dealing with issues like homosexuality, but it was decidedly less action-packed than the Die Hard movies we know today.

Die Hard itself wasn’t picked up by producers until 1988, nearly 10 years after the book it was based on was published. Because the movie was technically a sequel, they were contractually obligated to offer Frank Sinatra the leading role. He was 73 years old at the time and gracefully turned the offer down.

After Sinatra turned the offer down, the role was offered to Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the movie was pitched as a sequel to the actor’s 1985 film Commando rather than a sequel to The Detective.Schwarzenegger also turned down the offer, and instead Bruce Willis was cast in the leading role, with the character renamed John McClane instead of Joe Leland.

 

[ralphc1]

He was in his 70s

 

[BisexualMMA]

Still would have been 10x better than Die Hard 5.

 

[dog y]

Still would have been 10x better than Die Hard 5.

Is 5 the last? Was pretty cool.

 

[BisexualMMA]

Is 5 the last? Was pretty cool.

Yes, 5 was the last one. You liked it?

 

[is normal]

Watching a senile Frank sinatra being racist to Carl Winslow would be quite a trip indeed..

 

[is normal]

Yes, 5 was the last one. You liked it?

Was that the Russian one? Worst

 

[BisexualMMA]

Was that the Russian one? Worst

Yep, McClane and his Spy Kid go to Chernobyl. Also released as Spy Kids 4: Bend Over.

 

[Graves The Elder]

 

[dog y]

Yes, 5 was the last one. You liked it?

Super over the top shit. But entertaining and somewhat funny. Never expected more than that for the series, so it was ok.
Probably a 6/10.
Edit: thought it was over 10 years old.
Not sure I watched this one from 2013.

 

[BisexualMMA]

Super over the top shit. But entertaining and somewhat funny. Never expected more than that for the series, so it was ok.
Probably a 5.5 or 6/10.

Well, glad you got more out of it than I did.

 

[dog y]

Well, glad you got more out of it than I did.

I think i meant the previous one. Not sure. Will rewatch 4 and 5.
3 is the one with gary busey?
Didnt like it at the time. Was probably 15. Meaning its probably utter shit.

 

[BisexualMMA]

I think i meant the previous one. Not sure. Will rewatch 4 and 5.
3 is the one with gary busey?
Didnt like it at the time. Was probably 15. Meaning its probably utter shit.

None of them have Gary Busey.

Are you thinking of Lethal Weapon? Predator 2?

 

[dog y]

None of them have Gary Busey.

Are you thinking of Lethal Weapon? Predator 2?

No lol. I will check it and get back. In one of those movies, the villain is a big toothed russian kinda guy. I remember hating him.
Currently downloading Die Hard 4 and 5. Heck, will do 3 as well. Actually, the lot.

 

[Philo-Publius]

True story. Ol' Blue Eyes was originally offered the lead role for Die Hard . . . because the studio had to.

According to Business Insider:

Maybe a remake of The Detective with Bruce Willis as John McClane would be in order.

 

[Guestx]

According to the Die Hard Wikipedia article, the role of McClane was offered to the following actors before they finally got around to Willis:

Frank Sinatra
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Clint Eastwood
Sylvester Stallone
Harrison Ford
Richard Gere
Burt Reynolds
Don Johnson

Now I have a perverse desire to know what a Burt Reynolds or Don Johnson-lead Die Hard would look like.

 

[BisexualMMA]

According to the Die Hard Wikipedia article, the role of McClane was offered to the following actors before they finally got around to Willis:

Frank Sinatra
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Clint Eastwood
Sylvester Stallone
Harrison Ford
Richard Gere
Burt Reynolds
Don Johnson

Now I have a perverse desire to know what a Burt Reynolds or Don Johnson-lead Die Hard would look like.

It's a good thing it ended up with Bruce Willis. It's kind of hard to picture now, but the Moonlighting era Bruce Willis was a really charismatic guy who brought something to McClane in the 80s that relatively few actors could.

 

[Guestx]

It's a good thing it ended up with Bruce Willis. It's kind of hard to picture now, but the Moonlighting era Bruce Willis was a really charismatic guy who brought something to McClane in the 80s that relatively few actors could.

Yeah, I think it all worked out in the end. Even though fame ended turning Willis into such a huge dickhead that it's affected my desire to see him perform.

It's kind of amazing to think that there was a time when Don Johnson was ahead of him in the pecking order. I mean, I know Johnson was in the spotlight around that time because of Miami Vice, but still . . . just kind of weird to think about.

Shit, considering Johnson's on that list, I'm kind of surprised they didn't ask Tom Selleck too.

 

[BisexualMMA]

Yeah, I think it all worked out in the end. Even though fame ended turning Willis into such a huge dickhead that it's affected my desire to see him perform.

It's kind of amazing to think that there was a time when Don Johnson was ahead of him in the pecking order. I mean, I know Johnson was in the spotlight around that time because of Miami Vice, but still . . . just kind of weird to think about.

Shit, considering Johnson's on that list, I'm kind of surprised they didn't ask Tom Selleck too.

Yeah, Selleck should have had a bit more of a career on the big screen. He was pretty good in An Innocent Man and Three Men and a Baby.

 

[Twelve75]

Still better than John Travolta being Rambo.