#FunFact: Die Hard is based on a novel called “Nothing Lasts Forever” by Roderick Thorp, which was a sequel to “The Detective”, which was made into a film starring Frank Sinatra.
Which means Bruce Willis and Frank Sinatra both played the same character.
Which means Bruce Willis and Frank Sinatra both played the same character.
Also: In the novel, McClain (Joe Leland) is older, and it’s his estranged daughter who he’s visiting in L.A., not his estranged wife. The terrorists really are political terrorists. There’s a couple of unnecessary characters who were rightly eliminated from the film.
Otherwise, the film sticks pretty closely to the novel...except for the ending. The ending is actually exactly the same in the book, except for two critical differences...and holy shit do those differences completely change the tone.
One of the side characters eliminated from the film is a flight attendant from the airplane in the opening scene. They give her a VERY slight nod by showing McClane and her giving each other the eye for just a second as he moves past her to exit the plane.
Another fun fact: “Nakatomi Plaza” was actually the headquarters of 20th Century Fox which produced the film...and which really was still under construction during filming, which means the unfinished floor where McClane fights and kills Tony really was unfinished.
Here’s the shot of him and the flight attendant right at the opening. 
Also: The very first shot is a close-up of him gripping the arm of his seat. This immediately establishes that it’s going to be a white-knuckle, edge-of-your seat thriller.
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