Kevin Hart is looking forward to fans checking out Die Hart 2: Die Harter, the second season of his action-comedy series, for a special reason.
Season 2 of the Roku Channel series debuts 35 years after the premiere of the Bruce Willis-led film it proudly parodies, Die Hard. Willis played John McClane, a New York City police detective who continually gets caught up in various terrorist takeovers where he is the only hope against disaster.
Die Hart‘s parody of the franchise is especially poignant since the fifth and final installment, A Good Day to Die Hard, premiered in 2013 and marked Willis’ last portrayal of John McClane before he stepped away from acting after being diagnosed with aphasia in 2022. In February, Willis’ wife, Emma, ex-wife, Demi Moore, and daughters Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel and Evelyn, shared a joint statement announcing that the celebrated movie star’s condition has progressed to frontotemporal dementia, also known as FTD.
Hart contributed the “synergy and energy” behind his series to the franchise and its leading man, telling ET, “I’m a big Bruce Willis fan. I believe he is one of the best action stars of all time so it’s only right I would parody something after what he built.”
He added, “We’re two guys with amazing physiques and amazing understanding how to kick a**.”
On Die Hart, Hart plays a fictionalized version of himself who’s tired of being the comedic sidekick and wants to be taken seriously as an action star. In the first season, Hart trains with gritty professional stunt veterans (John Travolta) to learn how to be an action star and leading man. In season 2, Hart attempts to establish a reputation as the best action star of all time by developing an avant-garde unscripted feature. But his plans are soon foiled when an enemy from his past intervenes.
The new season introduces John Cena’s Hollywood stuntman, who goes by the moniker “Mr. 206.” Other new stars include actors Ben Schwartz and Paula Bell, while Nathalie Emmanuel reprises her role as Jordan King.
“[The first season] of Die Hart was great, and we were like, ‘OK, how do we do it again? How do we do it and make it bigger?'” Hart excitedly told ET of the new season. “Make something that the fans can go on another ride for. The first one of course we had John Travolta, Josh Hartnett and Nathalie Emmanuel and myself. And this one we got John Cena to come on board, and Nathalie Emmanuel is back as well!”
The season’s highlight is the show’s outrageous stunts, which Hart praised as “amazing,” even claiming that he does his own stunts — despite a stunt double being spotted on set.
“Right now we have a great stunt coordinator and I think the development in this particular idea is one that everybody is extremely hands on,” he explained, noting that with talented stars like Cena involved, “you want to use him correctly, so we have some really cool stuff.”
But the comedian was adamant that he didn’t use a stunt double, telling ET that “everybody knows that about me. I am pretty much hands on.”
And when it comes to the possible stunt double?
“Yeah, he wasn’t with me. That was probably just my blood brother — he’s in town,” Hart claimed, doubling down on his alleged stunt work. “[I did] everything. Me, Tom Cruise, Jackie Chan [and] Harrison Ford. That’s it. Never got hurt.”
Although the father of four admitted that he juggles “too many jobs” at once, he said he wouldn’t have it any other way, adding, “There’s always something to talk about, which is a good thing because you need to get into a position where I don’t have anything to talk about. So, I am not looking at this as a bad situation. I just have a full plate that’s all.”
Meanwhile, when asked how his frequent collaborator, Dwayne Johnson, feels about him working with Cena — another big name in the wrestling ring and the film screen — Hart joked that he’s “getting even” with Johnson for working with Ryan Reynolds.
The two megastars went head-to-head in Netflix’s Red Notice alongside Gal Gadot. The film follows Johnson as Special Agent John Hartley of the FBI and Reynolds and Gadot as art thieves Nolan Booth and “The Bishop,” respectively. Hartley and Booth team up to catch The Bishop, who’s always one step ahead.
“Me and Ryan had a long talk when I saw him, we had a long talk about this,” Hart told ET. But the comedian said there are no bad feelings between him and the other comedic actor, explaining that they’re “in a good place now. We straightened it out.”
Source: etonline.com
