Bruce Willis, 60, 'will star in a SIXTH Die Hard film which aims to be both a prequel and a sequel at the same time' 

By Ross Mcdonagh For Dailymail.com

Published: 15:18 EST, 15 October 2015 | Updated: 16:30 EST, 15 October 2015

It is a franchise that's hardly about to die any time soon.

A sixth film in the Die Hard franchise is in the works, according to a Thursday report from Deadline. This one will be both a prequel and a sequel.

Tentatively titled Die Hard: Year One, it will see Bruce Willis, 60, reprise the role he has played five times before.

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Yippie ki yay? A sixth film in the Die Hard franchise is in the works, according to Deadline. It will serve as both a prequel and a sequel; here Bruce is seen (left) in 2013's A Good Day To Die Hard and (right) in 1988's Die Hard
Yippie ki yay? A sixth film in the Die Hard franchise is in the works, according to Deadline. It will serve as both a prequel and a sequel; here Bruce is seen (left) in 2013's A Good Day To Die Hard and (right) in 1988's Die Hard

Yippie ki yay? A sixth film in the Die Hard franchise is in the works, according to Deadline. It will serve as both a prequel and a sequel; here Bruce is seen (left) in 2013's A Good Day To Die Hard and (right) in 1988's Die Hard

However much of the story will be set in 1979, before the events at the Nakatomi Plaza in the 1988 action classic that made the actor one of the biggest movie stars on the planet.

Presumably the film will be in the form of a flashback, with the older veteran telling his story to another character.

This means Fox is on the hunt for a young actor to play the New York cop before he became the hero.

Origin: Much of the story will be set in 1979, before the events at the Nakatomi Plaza in the 1988 action classic that made the actor (pictured with daughter Rumer last month) one of the biggest movie stars on the planet

Origin: Much of the story will be set in 1979, before the events at the Nakatomi Plaza in the 1988 action classic that made the actor (pictured with daughter Rumer last month) one of the biggest movie stars on the planet

One of the two names being automatically circulated is Joseph Gorden Levitt, who convincingly played a younger Willis in the 2012 time-travelling sci-fi flick Looper.

The other is Jai Courtney, who played John McClane's son Jack in the most recent A Good Day To Die Hard, which still managed to more than triple its $92million budget despite mixed reviews. 

Len Wiseman, who directed the fourth installment Live Free Or Die Hard, will return to direct, while Transformers' Lorenzo di Bonaventura will produce.

Here's looking at me, kid: One of the two names being automatically circulated is Joseph Gorden Levitt, who convincingly played a younger Willis in the 2012 time-travelling sci-fi flick Looper

Here's looking at me, kid: One of the two names being automatically circulated is Joseph Gorden Levitt, who convincingly played a younger Willis in the 2012 time-travelling sci-fi flick Looper

Reaction to the most recent news online has been chilly, with many questioning why every franchise - and this one in particular - needs to have an origin story.

Several people have pointed out that the original Die Hard is John McClane's origin story, in that he was just a regular cop before he had to step up and take on a team of terrorists to save his wife, and argue that inventing further originals just takes away from the canon. 

The studio is also searching for a scriptwriter: Only the most recent two films will have been original screenplays - the first four films were all based on pre-existing and completely unrelated stories.

Chip off the ol block: The other is Jai Courtney, who played John McClane's son Jack in the most recent A Good Day To Die Hard, which still managed to more than triple its $92million budget despite mixed reviews

Chip off the ol block: The other is Jai Courtney, who played John McClane's son Jack in the most recent A Good Day To Die Hard, which still managed to more than triple its $92million budget despite mixed reviews

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