You might be surprised to find that the movie die hard is the second film and technically a sequel. The first movie was called the detective and stared Frank Sinatra.
Both films were based on books written by Roderic Thorp. The detective being the first book made into a film of the same name in 1968, the sequel book, nothing lasts forever became the 1988 die hard.
Due to legal and contractual issues Frank Sinatra was offered the part of John McClane in the die hard film, at 70 years old he turned it down and Bruce Willis was given the part.
