"Passing the Torch" Crap Extends to Die Hard 5 – Search is on for John McClane Jr.

As long there's a beloved franchise studios dust off the shelf with the returning lead actor, you're always going to hear the notions of him having a new, younger sidekick. You know, so they can "pass the torch" in case the aging star decides his paycheck isn’t enough to cover the hot wax job on his fourth yacht.

Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull introduced Mutt Williams, the bastard-son of our leather jacket and fedora-sporting hero and there were talks of a spin-off adventure for Steven Spielberg's Golden Boy (at the time) Shia LaBeouf. Notice the world hasn’t been graced by Mutt Williams & the Lost City of Atlantis three years on? There's also Tron: Legacy, a sequel supposed to branch off from Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner to Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde. Where's Tron 3? Anyone?

Paramount's gung-ho on following that trend with this Christmas' Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol with all that chatter about Tom Cruise "passing the torch" to Jeremy Renner, something that isn't evidence in its trailer. Side-note: my guess is this is all a ploy and Renner ends up being the baddie in a twist.

20^th Century Fox hope they're the ones to succeed in this odd trend with A Good Day to Die Hard. Bruce Willis' John McClane will be in the wrong place at the wrong time, for the fifth time. This time in Russia and his son (Remember, folks, John McClane had two kids. Our pals at Movie Hole have the incriminating evidence from the original Die Hard) as his partner-in-crime taking the place of Reginald VelJohnson, Sam Jackson and Justin Long.

Variety says Willis will soon test with a short-list of young thespians including Aaron Paul (Emmy winner from AMC's Breaking Bad), Paul Dano (One of the few young actors who can claim they held their own against Daniel Day-Lewis from There Will Be Blood) and Ben Foster. All fine actors, although I'm having trouble imagining Dano as an skull-thumper. Him playing McClane Jr. as a little weenie - that's easy. But him handing some bad-guy their ass in a fight is harder to grasp.

The studio denied this short-list (that also included Paul Walker and Milo Ventimiglia) it should be said. You and I both know that translates to dick. Of course, they're going wave red-flags with "NU-UH!" claims. The fact they responded that quick to the initial report from the trade means the original information is true.