Did we need a Die Hard prequel? The moneymakers of Hollywood say yes, so Bruce Willis will be issued with a clean white vest for Die Hard 6, which is to be made by Les Wiseman, the director of Die Hard 4. The prequel will apparently be set in New York in 1979, with a younger actor playing Willis’s John McClane character as a rookie cop, and the 60-year-old Willis will appear “in scenes bookending the movie”, according to the Slashfilm website. The Die Hard films have made almost £1 billion at the box office, so there’s no stopping the franchise now. We await further instalments that wind the clock back ever further. Die Hard 7: Teen Cop? Die Hard 8: Toddler Terror?
The mother of all monster movies
Remember the best bit in Peter Jackson’s King Kong? When the eponymous giant ape fights two tyrannosauruses on Skull Island? Now, imagine that barney stretched to an entire movie. Cool, eh? Oh yes, fans of blockbusters featuring giant computer-generated effects fighting each other will doubtlessly be thrilled by the news that Warner Bros have thrown their weight behind King Kong v Godzilla. Not only that, but they’ve also acquired the character rights to legendary Godzilla stable-mates Rodan (a giant, slightly overweight pterodactyl), King Ghidorah (a giant three-headed dragon with extremely chunky legs), and Mothra (literally, a giant moth). Naturally, the meaty dramatic potential in this material is truly fascinating: will it be Rodan v Kong, Godzilla v Mothra, or Ghidorah v Godzilla v Kong? Answers, however, will not be revealed for a full five years, as King Kong v Godzilla isn’t scheduled for release until 2020. Shame.
Cut! What directors really say on set
Sam Mendes, the director of the forthcoming Bond movie Spectre, has a contacts book that’s almost as impressive as his movie and theatre CV. Asked to guest edit this month’s Empire, Mendes roped in a a gaggle of A-list directors to answer his questions. The most fruitful one was “What’s the most common phrase you use on set?” Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips) said: “F*** the script/lighting/extras etc, let’s shoot!” David Fincher (The Social Network), went for: “Shut the f*** up, please.” Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity) can most commonly be heard shouting “Vámonos!”, while for Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain), it’s “Can you close the gap between sentences?”Our favourite? George Clooney (Good night, and Good Luck.): “What time is lunch?”