Die Hart
Die Hart is an American comedy action-adventure television series which premiered on the streaming service Quibi on July 20, 2020. The series stars Kevin Hart as a fictionalized version of himself, with John Travolta, Nathalie Emmanuel and Josh Hartnett playing supporting roles in the first season.
| Die Hart | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy Action-adventure |
| Written by | Derek Kolstad & Tripper Clancy |
| Directed by | Eric Appel |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 18 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 10 minutes |
| Production company | LOL Studios |
| Release | |
| Original network | Quibi (season 1) The Roku Channel (season 2) |
| Original release | July 20, 2020 – present |
The first season was re-edited into a feature film released on Prime Video in February 2023.[1] Following the success of the first season and the closure of Quibi, the second season was released on The Roku Channel in March 2023.
Cast and characters
Main
- Kevin Hart as himself, a Hollywood actor who wishes to become an action hero, and refuses to be seen as a laughing stock. He goes off on a talk show, which ultimately causes his career to plummet. He is offered a role in an action film directed by Claude and is forced to join an action star training camp led by Ron.
- Hart also plays Doug Eubanks, his stunt double (season 2)
- John Travolta as Ron Wilcox (season 1), the leader of an action star boot camp that Kevin becomes a student of, yet at the start of the series he openly dislikes Kevin.
- Nathalie Emmanuel as Jordan King, a female student who befriends Kevin despite their awkward relations. She mentions halfway through the series that she's from Chicago, but at the penultimate episodes she drops her American accent to reveal she's actually from Essex, UK.
- Josh Hartnett as himself (season 1), an actor who is friends with Ron, and a former student of his boot camp.
- Ben Schwartz as Andre (season 2), Kevin Hart's assistant, who is very loyal to Hart, despite his belittlement[2]
- Paula Pell as Cynthia (season 2)[2]
- John Cena as Mr. 206 (season 2)[2]
Recurring
- Jean Reno as Claude Van De Velde, the director of a film starring Kevin, who approaches him to join the action training camp.
- Brandon Quinn as Danny Morrison, Kevin’s manager.
Episodes
Series overview
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | Network | |||
| 1 | 10 | July 20, 2020 | July 29, 2020 | Quibi | |
| 2 | 8 | March 31, 2023 | The Roku Channel | ||
Season 1 (2020)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title [3] | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code [3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Recruit" | Eric Appel | Derek Kolstad & Tripper Clancy | July 20, 2020 | 101 |
| Actor and comedian Kevin Hart unexpectedly goes off on a talk show on how he is unhappy that he is seen as a laughing stock, mocking his fans and the audience. His career goes sideways following the incident, but he is later offered a starring role in a new action film that could revive his career. Director of the film, Claude Van De Velde, insists he train at a strange, secluded action star boot camp before filming led by Ron Wilcox (John Travolta). | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Man on Fire" | Eric Appel | Derek Kolstad & Tripper Clancy | July 20, 2020 | 102 |
| Kevin settles into the boot camp in undesirable conditions. Ron tests Kevin’s abilities by having him save a dummy version of himself from a burning building. Kevin barely escapes and Ron ridicules him. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Wonder Woman" | Eric Appel | Derek Kolstad & Tripper Clancy | July 20, 2020 | 103 |
| 4 | 4 | "Sex, Lies and Videotape" | Eric Appel | Derek Kolstad & Tripper Clancy | July 21, 2020 | 104 |
| 5 | 5 | "The Truman Show" | Eric Appel | Derek Kolstad & Tripper Clancy | July 22, 2020 | 105 |
| 6 | 6 | "The Godfather" | Eric Appel | Derek Kolstad & Tripper Clancy | July 23, 2020 | 106 |
| 7 | 7 | "The Great Escape" | Eric Appel | Derek Kolstad & Tripper Clancy | July 24, 2020 | 107 |
| 8 | 8 | "Bad Boys" | Eric Appel | Derek Kolstad & Tripper Clancy | July 27, 2020 | 108 |
| 9 | 9 | "Live Free or Die Hard" | Eric Appel | Derek Kolstad & Tripper Clancy | July 28, 2020 | 109 |
| 10 | 10 | "True Lies" | Eric Appel | Derek Kolstad & Tripper Clancy | July 29, 2020 | 110 |
Season 2 (2023)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | "Hart Broken" | Eric Appel | Tripper Clancy | March 31, 2023 |
| 12 | 2 | "Escape From Hell" | Eric Appel | Tripper Clancy | March 31, 2023 |
| 13 | 3 | "The Legend of Stromberg" | Eric Appel | Tripper Clancy | March 31, 2023 |
| 14 | 4 | "Like Mother Like Son" | Eric Appel | Tripper Clancy | March 31, 2023 |
| 15 | 5 | "The Famous Mondolvias" | Eric Appel | Tripper Clancy | March 31, 2023 |
| 16 | 6 | "Episode Mr. 206" | Eric Appel | Tripper Clancy | March 31, 2023 |
| 17 | 7 | "Licensed and Bonded" | Eric Appel | Tripper Clancy | March 31, 2023 |
| 18 | 8 | "Face Off" | Eric Appel | Tripper Clancy | March 31, 2023 |
Production
On September 17, 2020, Quibi renewed the series for a second season.[4][5][6] In January 2021, Quibi's content library was sold to Roku, Inc. for less than $100 million.[7] The series was rebranded as a "Roku Original",[8][9] and its fate was left unknown; it eventually moved to The Roku Channel on May 20, 2021. Following viewership success, Roku decided to renew the series for a second season.[10]
When asked about the renewal at Roku, CEO of LOL Studios Jeff Clanagan said:
"The return of Die Hart marks a pivotal moment in the continued growth and expansion of LOL Studios. We’re excited for the opportunity to team up with Roku and be the first Roku Original to get a second season. We can’t wait for fans to dive into what is sure to be an even bigger, more action-packed season two."[10]
In April 2023, the series was renewed for a third season.[11]
Casting
Kevin Hart stars as a fictionalized version of himself in both seasons. The first season features John Travolta and Nathalie Emmanuel in supporting roles. On September 21, 2022, John Cena, Ben Schwartz and Paula Pell were cast in the second season in supporting roles, with Emmanuel confirmed to return alongside Hart.[2]
References
- Wiseman, Andreas (January 12, 2023). "Kevin Hart's 'Die Hart' Series Refashioned As 'Die Hart The Movie' For Prime Video". Deadline. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- Spangler, Todd (September 21, 2022). "Kevin Hart's 'Die Hart 2: Die Harter' Adds John Cena, Ben Schwartz, Paula Pell to Roku Comedy Series Cast". Variety. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- "Shows A-Z – die hart on roku". The Futon Critic. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
- Haring, Bruce (September 17, 2020). "Kevin Hart Gets Quibi Sequel For His Comedy Action Series 'Die Hart'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
- Patten, Dominic (October 21, 2020). "Quibi's Jeffrey Katzenberg & Meg Whitman Detail "Clear-Eyed" Decision To Shut It Down & What's Next". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
- Alexander, Julia (October 22, 2020). "Quibi will shut down 'on or around' December 1st". The Verge. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
- Mullin, Benjamin (January 8, 2021). "Roku Acquires Rights to Quibi's Content". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
- Keck, Catie (April 21, 2021). "Roku Wisely Rebrands Its Soon-to-Debut Quibi Content as 'Roku Originals'". Gizmodo. Retrieved April 30, 2021.
- Porter, Jon (January 8, 2021). "Quibi's library will live on through the Roku Channel". The Verge. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- Porter, Rick (June 8, 2021). "Kevin Hart Comedy 'Die Hart' Renewed at Roku". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
- Campione, Katie (April 13, 2023). "Kevin Hart Comedy Series 'Die Hart' Renewed At Roku Channel After Record Premiere Weekend For Season 2". Deadline. Retrieved July 2, 2023.