Believe it or not, the most iconic action movie of the 1980s started as a nightmare. Specifically, a literal bad dream had by a man named Roderick Thorp.
He’d just seen The Towering Inferno. You know the one—Paul Newman and Steve McQueen trying to save a bunch of people from a burning skyscraper. Thorp went home, closed his eyes, and imagined a man being chased through a high-rise by guys with guns. That dream became a book, and that book became Die Hard.
But here’s the thing: if you think you know the story because you’ve seen Bruce Willis crawl through a vent, you’re only getting half the picture. The original Roderick Thorp Die Hard inspiration—a 1979 novel called Nothing Lasts Forever—is a completely different beast. It’s darker, meaner, and way more depressing than the Hollywood blockbuster we watch every Christmas.
The Hero Who Wasn't John McClane
In the movie, we have John McClane. He’s a wisecracking, vest-wearing, relatively young NYPD cop trying to win back his wife.
In the world of Roderick Thorp, however, the hero is Joe Leland. Joe isn’t a young guy. He’s an aging, retired detective. He’s a World War II veteran. Honestly, he’s a bit of a relic.
He isn’t at the building to save his wife, either. He’s there to visit his daughter, Stephanie Gennaro. And Stephanie? She’s not exactly the "damsel in distress" Holly McClane was. In the book, she’s a high-powered executive at Klaxon Oil (the book's version of Nakatomi) who is deeply involved in some pretty shady corporate business. She’s also doing cocaine with Ellis.
Yeah. It’s that kind of book.
Why Frank Sinatra Almost Played "McClane"
This is one of those Hollywood facts that sounds like a fake internet rumor, but it’s 100% true.
Roderick Thorp wrote Nothing Lasts Forever as a sequel to his 1966 novel, The Detective. That first book had already been turned into a movie in 1968 starring—you guessed it—Frank Sinatra.
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Because of some weird legal language in his contract, 20th Century Fox was actually obligated to offer the role of Joe Leland to Sinatra first when they decided to adapt the sequel. Sinatra was 73 years old at the time. He took one look at the script (which involved jumping off roofs and crawling through ducts) and said thanks, but no thanks.
Can you imagine? "Yippee-ki-yay" in a Jersey croon? It would’ve changed cinema history, and probably not for the better.
The Nakatomi Massacre: Book vs. Movie
When people talk about Roderick Thorp Die Hard connections, they usually focus on the similarities. The bare feet on broken glass? That’s in the book. The fire hose jump? In the book. The "Now I have a machine gun" message? Also in the book.
But the tone is worlds apart.
The Villains Had a Different Goal
In the movie, Hans Gruber is a thief. He’s pretending to be a political radical to hide the fact that he just wants the $640 million in negotiable bearer bonds. He’s suave, he’s funny, and he’s played by Alan Rickman.
In Thorp’s novel, the villain is Anton (not Hans) Gruber. And he’s not there for the money.
The book's terrorists are actual radicals. They want to expose Klaxon Oil’s illegal arms deals with a Chilean military junta. They want to throw the company’s documents out the window to reveal their crimes to the world. It’s much more tied to the cynical, post-Watergate politics of the late 70s.
That Ending (Major Spoilers Ahead)
If you love the "happily ever after" ending of the movie where John and Holly drive away in a limo, stay away from the book.
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Roderick Thorp didn't do "happy."
In the novel’s climax, Joe Leland shoots Gruber, and Gruber falls out the window. Just like the movie, right? Wrong. In the book, as Gruber falls, he manages to grab Stephanie—Joe’s daughter—and drags her out the window with him.
Joe watches his own daughter fall to her death.
The book ends with Joe Leland standing alone, bleeding, and likely dying, having failed to save the person he came to see. It’s a gut-punch. It’s a 70s "New Hollywood" ending that leaves you feeling cold and empty.
How Roderick Thorp Changed Action Movies Forever
Even though the movie lightened things up, Thorp’s DNA is what made Die Hard work. Before this, action heroes were invincible. They were Arnold Schwarzenegger in Commando or Stallone in Rambo. They didn't get hurt. They didn't run out of ammo.
Thorp’s Joe Leland was vulnerable. He was scared. He felt every cut on his feet.
By grounding the story in a "one man against the world" scenario where the hero is constantly losing, Thorp created a blueprint. The screenwriter, Jeb Stuart, basically took Thorp’s intense, claustrophobic pacing and just swapped the "old man failing" vibe for a "young man winning" one.
The Realism Factor
Thorp wasn't just some guy writing pulp. He actually worked at a detective agency owned by his father before he became a novelist.
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He knew how cops talked. He knew how security protocols worked. That’s why the book feels so tactical. In the movie, McClane is improvising. In the book, Leland is strategizing. He’s using his knowledge of FAA security and police tactics to survive.
Key Differences You Might Not Know
To keep things simple, here’s a breakdown of how the Roderick Thorp Die Hard original stacks up against the 1988 film:
- The Hero: Joe Leland (60s, retired) vs. John McClane (30s, active duty).
- The Motivation: Saving his daughter vs. saving his wife.
- The Setting: Klaxon Oil (American company) vs. Nakatomi Corporation (Japanese company).
- The Vibe: A dark, political tragedy vs. a high-octane holiday thrill ride.
- The Body Count: In the book, even the "good" supporting characters like Sgt. Al Powell's supervisor, Dwayne Robinson, don't all make it out.
Why You Should Actually Read the Book
If you’re a fan of the movie, reading Nothing Lasts Forever is like looking into a dark mirror.
You’ll recognize the beats, but the emotional weight is different. It’s less about "saving the day" and more about "surviving the night." Thorp’s prose is lean and mean. He doesn’t waste time on fluff.
The book also explores Joe’s internal monologue—his regrets about being a bad father and his cynicism toward a world that seems to be getting more violent. It makes the action feel earned because you know exactly how much it's costing him physically and mentally.
What to Do Next
If you want to dive deeper into the world of Roderick Thorp Die Hard history, here is your game plan:
- Find a copy of "Nothing Lasts Forever": It was re-released with the Die Hard branding after the movie blew up. It’s usually available at most used bookstores or online.
- Watch "The Detective" (1968): If you want to see the "original" John McClane, watch Frank Sinatra play Joe Leland. It’s a gritty, surprisingly progressive movie for its time that deals with some very heavy themes.
- Compare the "Barefoot" Scene: Read the chapter where Leland first realizes he’s barefoot and has to navigate the glass. Thorp’s description of the sensory details is actually more intense than the movie’s visual.
Roderick Thorp passed away in 1999, but his "nightmare" about a guy in a building changed the way we think about heroes. He proved that a hero is most interesting when he's at his breaking point.