DIE HARD 5 Has Its John McClane Jr – Is It A Good Thing?

At this point in cinema it has become the norm to team an ageing action icon with a younger co-star. We’ve seen it with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and to a lesser extent with Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol, now it has happened to Die Hard…again.

A Good Day to Die Hard sees Bruce Willis’ John McClane on European soil, battling terrorists, and this time he brings his son along for the ride. Australian actor Jai Courtney snagged the much sought after role, and he follows in the footsteps of Justin Long, who played Willis’ co-star in Die Hard 4.0 aka Live Free or Die Hard.

The question is why do studios feel the need to cast younger actors opposite these elder action statesmen? Willis has shown with Red, that oldies can kick-ass and audiences will flock to see them do it.

Was Mission Impossible 4 a hit because of Jeremy Renner? Did Justin Long put bums on seats for Die Hard 4? Was it Shia LaBeouf’s Tarzan routine that helped Indy 4 cross $700 million around the globe? Probably not.

If Die Hard 5 does hit it big at the box office, then it will have little to do with the unknown Courtney. However, more importantly – will audiences even be willing to see him take on the franchise if Bruce Willis decides to hang up his vest?

So many questions.