This year, Bruce Willis will not only reprise John McClane in the fifth instalment of his decades-old Die Hard franchise, he’ll also be back as retired black-ops CIA agent Frank Moses from 2010′s RED.
The action-comedy, which was based on a Vertigo comic written by Warren Ellis, ended up being one of Willis’ biggest non-sequel hits in years. When I interviewed the actor for the film, he told me he was pleased with how the original turned out.
“I actually find myself somehow just drawn to (comic-book) movies,” he said, “because they already show up as great stories of drama and conflict.” (You can read the original interview here)
The on-set camaraderie between Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, Karl Urban, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker and Richard Dreyfuss was undeniable. The Golden Globe nomination the film received a few months later was just gravy.
So it’s no surprise, really, that there’s a sequel due this summer.
RED 2 reunites stars from the first film, with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Sir Anthony Hopkins joining the action.
This time, people are trying to kill Malkovich’s Marvin Boggs and the hit is out on Willis’ Moses. The settings are also a little more glamourous – Paris, Moscow and London – and the comedic timing looks spot on.
RED 2 will be based on a fresh idea written by Erich and Jon Hoeber, who wrote the script for the original RED.
The film hits theatres Aug. 2.
Are you more excited for RED 2 or Die Hard 5? Let us know in the comments.