Anyone who has visited – or even driven past/seen footage of – the 20th Century Fox lot in Los Angeles knows that the studio boasts giant murals of some of its most famous productions, including The Empire Strikes Back** **and The Simpsons. Last night, Die Hard joined that exclusive club, as Bruce Willis unveiled a mural featuring John McClane in one of the original movie’s most iconic shots.
Introduced by Fox film boss Jim Gianopulos (who couldn’t resist cracking, “We’re glad he agreed to come out to the coast, have a few laughs”) Willis was invited to push the button on what looked like a detonator. Cue the Fox fanfare, fireworks (which, as you can see in the video below, set off every car alarm in the adjacent parking garage, much to Willis’ amusement) and the unveiling of the giant image.
Crafted by artist Van Hecht-Nelson and painter Fernando Cepeda, the huge pic will permanently adorn stage 8 at the studio.
Willis will be back as McClane in the fifth instalment, A Good Day To Die Hard on February 14. Incidentally, Die Hard is 25 years old this year. For some of you, that will be a painful reminder of time’s endless march. But for those too young to realise it? Get off our lawns and go back to your ibots and your space candy and such.