A Surprise 'Die Hard' Sequel Gives 2020 a Much-Needed Jump Start

Whether or not you agree with the popular theory that the 1988 action picture "Die Hard" is really a Christmas movie, you'll have to admit that NYPD detective John McClane is Bruce Willis' greatest role.

There have been four sequels of varying quality over the past decades, but it had been seven years since Willis had played the part. That changed over the weekend when a new "Die Hard" movie showed up on YouTube.

"Die Hard" 2020 is actually a commercial for DieHard, the iconic battery brand formerly owned by Sears and now sold by Advance Auto Parts. The spot brings back a pair of iconic characters from the original movie.

McClane's car won't start and he heads to an auto parts store for a new battery. He runs into the original movie's computer hacker Theo (Clarence Gilyard Jr.), who's still out for revenge 32 years later.

Theo sends a posse of musclebound thugs to finish off the detective, who crashes through the store window to buy his new battery. After escaping through the ventilation system, he runs into limousine driver Argyle (De'voreaux White), who's finally paid off the same car he was driving in the first movie.

As they try to get back to McClane's broken-down muscle car, Theo runs them down and crashes into the limo. The DieHard battery takes a bullet but still works when installed and they crank up the car for an escape.

Will Theo get his revenge or will McClane escape again with a few more scars but still in one piece? You'll have to watch for the result.

If you're shocked that Bruce was willing to play John McClane in a commercial, he's got some thoughts for you.

"I've never done any sort of commercial with the John McClane character, but Advance Auto Parts brought an idea to integrate DieHard the battery into the 'Die Hard' story through a short film that's authentic to McClane and both brands," Willis said in a press release.

"Advance approached this like a motion picture -- the script is clever, the production intense and the spot is entertaining," he continued." This is what 'Die Hard' fans expect. I think they will dig the DieHard --'Die Hard' mashup."

Back in the day before its release, the movie title was a clever play on an iconic brand name. Over the years, the movie became a brand that's probably bigger than the battery ever was. And now we've come full circle: A battery looks to get a boost from a movie that once got a boost from the battery.

Enjoy the spot and don't get your back up. Bruce's movie career got jump started by DieHard back in the day and now he's returning the favor.

Here's the classic DieHard battery commercial that the movie title was supposed to evoke for audiences back in 1988.

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