Die Hard 6 Recruits The Conjuring Duo to Rewrite Script

The still-alive Die Hard 6 has hired The Conjuring duo Chad and Carey Hayes to perform a script rewrite. Bruce Willis just last month confirmed the long-planned Die Hard sequel is still moving forward at 20th Century Fox. The plan at one time was to make Die Hard 6 a prequel/sequel hybrid, with a new actor coming aboard as a young John McClane. But who knows if that is still the direction producers wish to go.


Willis first played John McClane in 1988’s Die Hard, a seminal ’80s action-thriller and smash hit. Willis has since reprised the role four times, the last in 2013’s A Good Day to Die Hard. The as-of-now last Die Hard movie was something of a dud domestically, grossing just $67 million. However, it did manage to pull in an additional $237 million overseas, keeping hope alive for one more sequel.


With Fox still looking to squeeze one last film out of the franchise, The Tracking Board reports that Chad and Carey Hayes have been hired to rewrite the Die Hard 6 script. Len Wiseman remains on-board as producer and director. And of course Willis will stick around as McClane.


The brother screenwriting team of Chad and Carey Hayes became a hot item in Hollywood thanks to their work on 2013’s The Conjuring and its 2016 sequel The Conjuring 2. Altogether, the two horror films grossed over $600 million worldwide. The Hayes’ other credits include the horror movies House of Wax, The Reaping and the upcoming The Turning starring Mackenzie Davis and Finn Wolfhard. Their only true action movie credit thus far is the 2009 film Whiteout starring Kate Beckinsale. However, they do have two Journey to the Center of the Earth sequels on their future slate. Between those movies and Die Hard 6, it appears the brothers are ready to branch out away from their horror roots.


After a pair of widely spaced, poorly received sequels, it’s fair to wonder how much the Die Hard franchise has left in the tank. Audiences have an undying love for the original Die Hard, with its gritty Willis performance, brilliant Alan Rickman villain and beautifully staged action. But outside of its nostalgia value, does Die Hard still have anything to offer? Right now the franchise feels like a bit of a tired warhorse. And Willis himself certainly has nothing like the box office clout he used to wield. Willis’ most recent film, the action remake Death Wish, has managed just $23 million in two weeks of release. Eli Roth thought Death Wish would revive Willis’ career, but so far it doesn’t look like that prediction has come true. Can yet another Die Hard movie put Willis back on the map as an action star? It remains to be seen.