Australian actor Jai Courtney cast to play John McClane's son in Bruce Willis's fifth Die Hard film

To play John McClane's son ... Actor Jai Courtney, pictured with Gemma Pranita, has been cast to star opposite Bruce Willis in 'A Good Day to Die Hard'. Picture: Julie Kiriacoudis Source: Herald Sun

The Daily Telegraph reports

Australian actor Jai Courtney has been cast to play opposite Bruce Willis in the next Die Hard movie, A Good Day to Die Hard.

Courtney, best known for his role as Varro in TV series Spartacus: Blood and Sand, will play everyman hero John McClane's son Jack in the fifth movie in the franchise, A Good Day to Die Hard.

The new film, which will be directed by John Moore, will be set in Moscow, Russia, where John McClane and his estranged son Jack take on the locals.

In a press release from 20th Century Fox, Courtney's character is described as "even be more of a hard-ass than his father".

A who's who of upcoming Hollywood actors auditioned for the role, but in the end it came down to Courtney and fellow Aussie Liam Hemsworth, who is starring in another action sequel The Expendables 2.

The film studio also released an image of Courtney's screen test with Willis.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who played McClane's estranged daughter in the last sequel, is not expected to be part of the new film, which will begin production in April, according to The Hollywood Reporter.