Jeb Stuart's first draft of Die Hard was vastly different from the final product.
Detective John McClane takes a christmas trip to Los Angeles to visit his wife, Holly, at the Klaxon Oil building on Wilshire Boulevard. Unfortunately, the party is crashed by several armed gunmen.
The script is available for purchase at specialty websites.
Enough tropes to turn this place into Wilshire Canyon:
- Ax-Crazy: This incarnation of Hans enjoys engaging in violence, whether fighting against armed personnel or killing hostages.
- Brooklyn Rage: John is a hardass NYPD officer.
- Deadpan Snarker: John is a wisecracking NYPD officer.
- Hostage Situation: Hans holds approximately 35 people hostage in an attempt to break into the Klaxon vault. He intends to kill all the hostages and turn the surrounding area into a crater.
- Relationship-Salvaging Disaster: John and Holly have a stronger relationship as a result of the hostage situation.
- Right Man in the Wrong Place: John is out of his element at the Klaxon function, but still manages to neutralize several gunmen.
- Smug Snake: In contrast with his film incarnation, Hans is exceedingly arrogant and sadistic, with his ego ultimately getting the better of him, as opposed to having a healthy self esteem.
- Soft-Spoken Sadist: The leader of the gunmen, Hans, repeatedly speaks with a gentle voice.
