Last time audiences caught a glimpse of John McClane, he was settling scores throughout Eastern Europe and patching up his family life in 2013’s much-malignedA Good Day to Die Hard, but it seems Bruce Willis is still willing to reprise the role that made him an action star in a way that doesn’t have tolive up to the standards of old. In a commercial for what else, but Die Hard batteries.
After a certain amount ofTwitter build-up courtesy of Willis’ own daughter, Rumer Willis, the teased ad opens with McClane pondering his retiree status while struggling with his share of average Joe problems like his car breaking down in the middle of the night on a darkened street. The whole “2 minute film” is technically an ad for Advance Auto Parts and DieHard batteries, and ran on several of Sunday’s NFL games including the Rams Vs. 49ers headliner match forNBC Sunday Night Football.
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Even if it’s not the newDie Hardsequel rumored to be in development that fans could hope for, the ad is certainly packed with plenty of the franchise’s nostalgia and easter eggs. Aside from featuring Theo (Clarence Gilyard Jr.) as the main villain, it also features a cameo from McClane’s favorite limo driver, Argyle (De’voreaux White). As if that weren’t enough, there is some epic grenade throwing and explosions, Beethoven’s Ode to Joy plays in the background and, of course, McClane crawls through an air vent.
Willis is not the only 80’s and 90’s action star willing to put a fun spin to his most iconic character; recently Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone lent their likeness toMortal Kombat 11’sDLC packs, featuring Terminator andRambo, with the latter also providing his voicefor use in the game. Perhaps Advance Auto Parts could try to bring John McClane for a well-timed Christmas ad or even take him all the way to a Super Bowl slot.
