Editing Die Hard with a Vengeance (section)

== Production ==
===Development and writing===
Like most of the films in the series, the premise of this film was repurposed from a stand-alone project. Various scripts were written for ''Die Hard 3''; a number of them were ultimately rejected by Bruce Willis on the grounds that they felt like retreads of the action movies that came in the wake of the first film.<ref name="denofgeek">{{Cite news|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/die-hard/21313/the-strange-history-of-the-die-hard-movies|title=The strange history of the Die Hard movies|newspaper=Den of Geek|access-date=November 11, 2016}}</ref> One script, originally titled ''Troubleshooter'', had McClane fighting terrorists on a Caribbean cruise line, but was rejected for being too similar to ''[[Under Siege]]''.<ref name="latimes">{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-11-01-ca-1596-story.html|title=OFF-CENTERPIECE : 'Die Hard 3' Blown Out of the Water by 'Siege'|last=Wells|first=Jeffrey|date=November 1, 1992|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] S|issn=0458-3035|access-date=November 11, 2016|archive-date=February 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202080403/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-11-01-ca-1596-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Troubleshooter'' was later repurposed for ''[[Speed 2: Cruise Control]]''.<ref name="denofgeek" />

The script ultimately used was intended for a film entitled ''Simon Says'', originally positioned as a [[Brandon Lee]] vehicle and the character of Zeus was written with an actress in mind, but the project was cancelled after Lee's death during filming of ''[[The Crow (1994 film)|The Crow]]''. [[Warner Bros.]] bought the script and rewrote it as a ''[[Lethal Weapon (franchise)|Lethal Weapon]]'' sequel. Warner Bros. later put the script in turnaround, only to be purchased by [[20th Century Fox]] and rewritten as a ''Die Hard'' film.<ref name="denofgeek" />

[[Andrew G. Vajna|Andy Vajna]] replaced [[Joel Silver]] and [[Lawrence Gordon (producer)|Larry Gordon]] as the producer on the film due to a fall-out with Willis.<ref name="latimes" /> As a result, Vajna's company, [[Cinergi Pictures|Cinergi]], acquired foreign rights to the film. In most regions, the film rights were acquired by [[Walt Disney Studios (division)|Disney]] and [[Summit Entertainment]], while Fox retained domestic and Japan rights.<ref name="sec.gov"/> In July 1997, Cinergi sold its 50% stake in the film to Fox for $11.25 million.<ref>{{Cite web|date=July 17, 1997|title=Fox buys 'Die Hard' part|url=https://variety.com/1997/film/news/fox-buys-die-hard-part-1116676671/|access-date=October 28, 2020|website=Variety|language=en-US|archive-date=October 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031202828/https://variety.com/1997/film/news/fox-buys-die-hard-part-1116676671/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Casting ===
[[Laurence Fishburne]] was originally offered the co-starring role of Zeus Carver, a part also written for him, but wanted a higher fee. Producer Andy Vajna held out on the deal. Fishburne had earlier turned down the role of Jules Winnfield in ''[[Pulp Fiction]]'', which was eventually played by Samuel L. Jackson. Fishburne was talked out of playing Jules by his representatives who wanted him to only accept leading parts, otherwise he would be stuck career-wise as a supporting actor. Subsequently, ''Pulp Fiction'' premiered at the [[Cannes Film Festival]] during the same time as Fishburne's pay negotiations. Vajna also attended the event to support Willis who was appearing in the [[Quentin Tarantino]] film. Tarantino recalled that Vajna was so impressed by Jackson's performance that he offered him the part of Carver instead. Fishburne later filed a lawsuit against Vajna's company Cinergi for reneging on a verbal agreement.<ref>{{cite news |title=Quentin Tarantino Says Laurence Fishburne Turned Down 'Pulp Fiction' Which Led To Him Losing Role In 'Die Hard' |url=https://theplaylist.net/laurence-fishburne-tarantino-pulp-fiction-role-die-hard-20200120/ |work=theplaylist.net |date=28 October 1996 |access-date=January 26, 2020 |archive-date=January 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126040023/https://theplaylist.net/laurence-fishburne-tarantino-pulp-fiction-role-die-hard-20200120/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Fink |first1=Mitchell |title=The Insider |url=https://people.com/archive/the-insider-vol-46-no-18/ |work=People.com |access-date=January 26, 2020 |archive-date=January 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126040021/https://people.com/archive/the-insider-vol-46-no-18/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The lawsuit was settled before going to trial, with Fishburne receiving $750,000 and a guarantee that Cinergi would option a screenplay he had written.<ref>{{cite web |date=August 19, 2020 |last=Jung |first=E. Alex |title=Laurence Fishburne Knows Who He Is |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/laurence-fishburne-in-conversation.html |website=Vulture |access-date=September 2, 2020 |archive-date=August 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821082213/https://www.vulture.com/article/laurence-fishburne-in-conversation.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Beasley |first1=Tom |title='Die Hard With a Vengeance': The strange saga of Laurence Fishburne and how it ended up in court |url=https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/movies/die-hard-with-a-vengeance-laurence-fishburne-151015302.html |website=Yahoo! Movies |access-date=3 December 2024 |date=14 May 2020}}</ref>