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Action star of the 90s, actor Bruce Willis became internationally known for his role as the badass cop John McClane in the action franchiseDie Hard. He starred in the franchise which began in 1988, all the way till 2013 when the series’ fifth filmA Good Day to Die Hard.
While all of the films may not have received equal critical acclaim, the films have been commercial successes. One of the sequels which is still appreciated to this day is the third film of the franchiseDie Hard with a Vengeance. The cult classic was actually supposed to have a different ending, which would have portrayed Willis as a brutal psychopath and would have changed the franchise forever. There will be spoilers ahead.
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How Does Bruce Willis’Die Hard With A VengeanceEnd?
Bruce Williswas propelled from being a sitcom actor to an action star with the phenomenalDie Hard. Willis’ honest cop who foils a hostage situation was wildly successful. The film was also a commercial success and led to manyDie Hard-inspired action films. The film was so recognized that subsequent action films, for example, Keanu Reeves’Speedwere described as ‘Die Hard on a Bus’.
The original led to four sequels, with the third filmDie Hard with a Vengeancebeing regarded as a cult classic. The film saw a familiar name Simon Gruber (Jeremy Irons playing the brother of Alan Rickman’s Hans Gruber from the first film) who has planted several bombs in New York City while planning a heist. Bruce Willis’ John McClane teams up with Samuel L. Jackson’s Zeus Carver to stop the terrorists.
The original ending ofDie Hard with a Vengeancesees the rest of Gruber’s henchmen being apprehended while Gruber and his girlfriend Katya try to escape in a helicopter. McClane shoots up a powerline which falls on the chopper, causing it to fall and explode, thus killing Gruber. Willis’ McClane is not directly responsible for the death of Simon Gruber.
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What Was The Alternative Ending ToDie Hard 3?
The third film of theDie Hardfranchise has a lasting legacy. While no sequel has come close to the first film,Die Hard with a Vengeancehas been regarded as one of the better entries in the franchise. In fact, Jeremy Irons’ Simon Gruber even got a shout-out fromBrooklyn Nine-Nine’s Jake Peralta, a massive fan of the franchise.
However, it is doubtful whether this legacy would have persisted if the makers had gone for the original ending of the film. Screenwriter Jonathan Hensleigh revealed in the commentary for the film that there was an alternative ending that was not only written but also filmed. This ending would have portrayed John McClane as a ruthless killer, thus changing the image.
According to the screenwriter, this ending reportedly saw McClane and Gruber meeting much later in Hungary as the former tracks him down. McClane plays a form of Russian roulette with Gruber, much like the ‘Simon Says’ game the antagonist has been playing throughout the film, albeit with a rocket launcher. The film ends with Gruber being killed by the rocket launcher, while McClane escapes death.
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This scene would have made Bruce Willis’ John McClane directly responsible for Gruber’s death, giving a more psychopathic edge to the character. Willis was reportedly not happy with this ending and chose the former as it was not a ‘Die Hard ending’. He said toEntertainment Weekly,
“I remember on the third one, Die Hard with a Vengeance, we reshot the ending – which I predicted, not that I’m smart or anything, I just knew that the ending that we were going with wasn’t a Die Hard ending. It wouldn’t satisfy the audience when they said ‘One Year Later’ at the end – you never want to see that.”
The makers were probably right as the film went on to earn over $366 million at the box office and was the highest-grossing film of the year.
Also read:“I’m sorry you are living this story too”: Bruce Willis’ Wife Wins Hearts as She Tries to Help Fans While Going Through a Painful Journey Herself
Source:Entertainment Weekly
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2415
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
