Exclusive: Aaron Paul Eyed To Replace Bruce Willis In New Die Hard Movie

We can report that Aaron Paul is being targeted to appear in Die Hard as a younger John McClane, effectively replacing Bruce Willis in the franchise.

By James Brizuela | Published

aaron paul

Every holiday season, families gather around and tell stories of love and admiration for the year they just experienced. Well, that might not be true. Often people are locked in an unbridled argument that has stood since the 1980s. Is Die Hard a holiday movie? It’s one of the best arguments to engage in. We have been there. The entire franchise has evolved through the years, with Bruce Willis constantly returning as John McClane. However, there was heartbreaking news delivered recently that Willis has a brain disease called Aphasia. The condition causes the suffered to deal with cognition and speech, among other symptoms. This has led to Willis retiring from acting. Now, through our trusted and proven sources, we can report that Aaron Paul is being targeted to appear in the new Die Hard film as a young John McClane.

The news that Bruce Willis won’t be involved with one of his best franchises is quite heartbreaking. However, Aaron Paul taking the lead in Die Hard is a fantastic idea. Everyone knows that the man has the acting chops to take on any role. He has spectacular as Jesse Pinkman in Breaking Bad and followed that up with a great performance as Caleb Nichols in Westworld. He has also appeared in action films like Triple 9 and Need for Speed, which would likely sum up what the new Die Hard would be stylistically. Fans might be a bit upset at a prequel, but we think it a fantastic idea to honor and grow one of the best action franchises ever made.

Apart from appearing in Westworld and reprising his role as Jesse Pinkman in Better Call Saul, it does seem that Aaron Paul would have the free time for Die Hard. At least, that is what it appears so on his IMDB page. We did report that he is joining the MCU, but his role has yet to be established. He could very well be halting other acting duties so that he may take up the mantle that was once held by Bruce Willis. This is just speculation but landing the lead role in the new Die Hard franchise would be huge for the man. This could lead to restarting the franchise, which would result in him signing on for multiple movies.

There has not been a Die Hard film since 2013 when Bruce Willis starred in A Good Day to Die Hard, so Aaron Paul could jump in without too many people remembering the last film. That’s no disrespect to Mr. Willis, but it’s been nearly a decade since we last saw John McClane. Also, we don’t exactly know where McClane was before he ascended on Nakatomi Plaza. That is the right recipe for a reboot.

We understand that no one can ever replace Bruce Willis, especially with how spectacular he is in the first film. However, it could be worse. At least we are getting Aaron Paul to take on Die Hard instead of someone that does not have the same gravitas of Willis and McClane. Paul can certainly carry a cast and we know that he can be threatening too. We think this is going to be quite a great film.