#BlockbusterStory Die Hard Turns 30

Believe it or not the blockbuster Die Hard franchise starring Bruce Willis turns 30 this year. Did you know the book Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp, a 1979 thriller inspired the movie?

Official Book Synopsis: High atop a Los Angeles skyscraper, an office Christmas party turns into a deadly cage-match between a lone New York City cop and a gang of international terrorists. Every action fan knows it could only be the explosive big-screen blockbuster Die Hard. But before Bruce Willis blew away audiences as unstoppable hero John McClane, author Roderick Thorp knocked out thriller readers with the bestseller that started it all. A dozen heavily armed terrorists have taken hostages, issued demands, and promised bloodshed all according to plan. But they haven’t counted on a death-defying, one-man cavalry with no shoes, no backup, and no intention of going down easily. As hot-headed cops swarm outside, and cold-blooded killers wield machine guns and rocket launchers inside, the stage is set for the ultimate showdown between anti-hero and uber-villains. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good fight to the death. Ho ho ho!

Die Hard movie trailer/Release Date: July 15, 1988

Bruce Willis stars as New York City detective John McClane, newly arrived in Los Angeles to spend the Christmas holiday with his estranged wife. But as McClane waits for his wife’s office party to break up, terrorists take control of the building. While the terrorist leader, Hans Gruber rounds up hostages, McClane slips away unnoticed. Armed with only a service revolver and his cunning, McClane launches his own one-man war. A crackling thriller from beginning to end, Die Hard explodes with hear-stopping suspense.

Cast: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson, Paul Gleason, William Atherton, Hart Bochner, Dennis Hayden, Robert Davi, Grand L. Bush

Studio: 20th Century Fox
Director: John McTiernan
Screenwriter: Steven E. de Souza, Jeb Stuart
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller