Reader question: can my idea in an overused genre work?

John asks:

I'm sure you've heard this before, but I think I've come up with a genuinely original take on the Die Hard sub-genre. 

My question is if you'd consider this sub-genre of movie still viable or even attractive in this day and age, or whether they're an inherently dated form. I'm sure you get to read many such scripts and wondered if you had any advice, especially with a female protagonist. 

 If it's good, it's viable.  It's true that it's possible for a particular flavor of sub-genre to wear out its welcome.  But if it's a really good script, it'll sell.  Don't forget that OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN and WHITE HOUSE DOWN both were variations on the Die Hard formula and they sold within weeks of each other.

The female protagonist thing is inevitably going to provoke the question, "Does it have to be a woman? Can it be a man?"  It's ridiculous that that's still a common response in this day and age, especially when Gravity has been flying high at the box office, toplined by a 49 year-old woman.  You'll probably be given some nonsense about how foreign sales will be easier with a male lead, but then remember that at least two companies that we know of are working on some variation of "Female Expendables."

My pet theory is that when executives resort to those easy (and outdated) reasons for passing on a spec, what they're really saying is "I don't like this enough to make it."  They're not passionate about it.  Maybe they see a few elements that could sell tickets, but the script just didn't blow them away.  But they have to say something. They have to give a reason why the script isn't good for them.

I've you've got an idea that truly is that brilliant and writing that just leaps off the page, once you get it into a few people's hands, you'll probably be able to gauge their passion for it.  I'm sure that within the next year, we'll see at least one sale of a script that can be described as "Die Hard in a..."

Tuesday Talkback: Your Favorite Christmas Movie

It's that time of year. What's your favorite Christmas movie?

I have two. I can watch A Christmas Story a million times and never get bored with it. It's a timeless classic for too many reasons to list here. Home Alone is a very close runner-up. Last Christmas I watched it for the first time in a decade and it still held up. It works because it's a kids movie that isn't afraid to slow down and go for a beat of genuine emotion, such as the whole subplot about the old man on the block who has been estranged from his family for many years. I can't help but think that if that movie were remade today, 95% of the focus would be on the traps that Kevin puts the burglars through and all the heart would be written out of the movie for fear of alienating audiences.

Honorable mention goes to Die Hard, which makes me realize that the third act of Home Alone is essentially Die Hard in a suburban home. So does this mean that Kevin McAllister grows up to be John McClane?

Wow, that was a weird stream-of-consciousness tangent. Anyway, sound off below.