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When it comes to finding inspiration for movies, Hollywood turns to the book world. Throughout the decades’ many popular novels have been adapted into films. Stephen King’s books Carrie and The Shining have been made into big-screen flicks. Also, who can forget classics such as Pride and Prejudice being adapted for various films? But what many movie fanatics may not know is a literary story inspired by a popular action flick.

Bruce Willis as a bloody and armed John McClane in the 1988 action film 'Die Hard'
Bruce Willis, I 20th Century-Fox/Getty Images

‘Die Hard’ was adapted from a book by Roderick Thorp

It may be hard to believe, but a book inspired Die Hard. The novel that grabbed the screenwriters’ attention was Roderick Thorp’s 1979 story Nothing Lasts Forever. Thorp reportedly came up with the plot following a dream, and the story would become the sequel to one of his earlier novels, The Detective.

As with any adaption, there are differences between Thorp’s novel and the film. In the book, the hero’s name is Joseph Leland, who, like John McClane, is a New York City cop. However, Leland comes to Los Angeles to visit his estranged daughter, who he has to rescue from a group of terrorists. Although the film and book differ in some areas, Die Hard did include many of Nothing Lasts Forever‘s action sequences.

‘Die Hard 2’ was also adapted from another novel

Die Hard proved to be a success by earning over $139 million at the box office. When it came time to write the film’s sequel, producers again turned to the literary world. This time they used the plot from Walter Wager’s 1987 book 58 Minutes.

Again there are slight differences between the movie and the book. In Die Hard 2, McClane is awaiting his wife’s arrival at the Washington Dulles International Airport when he once again finds himself fighting terrorists. However, in 58 Minutes, the setting is at JFK International Airport, where detective Frank Malone must rescue his daughter and other passengers.

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Thanks to the plot of 58 Minutes, Die Hard 2 went on to become a hit. The sequel earned favorable reviews and garnered over $240 million at the box office.

Die Hard has become one of the most popular film franchises of all time. It’s spawned four sequels and has earned over $1 billion in revenue. The movie also launched the film career of Bruce Willis, who’s stepped back into the shoes of John McClane on multiple occasions.

As for the book that started it all, Thorp’s novel was taken out of publication. However, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Nothing Lasts Forever was brought back into print for the novel’s 24th anniversary. For all the Die Hard fans who want to read the book that helped create the action flick, now’s your chance to grab a copy.

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