Die Hard Writer Revives Classic Literature Favorite With a Modern Twist

1 day ago 3

John McClane yells while holding a gun in Die Hard.

Published Jun 15, 2026, 12:26 PM EDT

Jason is an award-winning journalist whose writing career dates back to when he developed the ability to use a crayon. He, most notably, worked previously as a "professional fan," as he likes to call it, at CinemaBlend, for which he wrote about anything and everything under the pop culture umbrella... especially Batman. His passion for the art of cinema began even earlier, stemming from repeat viewings of The Wizard of Oz.
This initially led him to pursue a career in filmmaking -- and even work briefly in the industry as an extra in the straight-to-video family film, Alice Upside Down -- before deciding that his talents would be better served discussing and showing appreciation for the various forms of entertainment he is passionate about.

One of the most underrated unsung heroes in the making of Die Hard is Steven E. de Souza, who co-wrote the screenplay for the beloved 1988 action flick. Lately, he has specialized in writing comics and has an exciting new project in the works.

As part of a deal with Gungnir Books, de Souza is penning a dark graphic novel based on Gulliver's Travels. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the comic has been given the working title Gulliver. It aims to take the concept of the highly influential literary classic and lean more heavily into its fantasy plot, but also with a stronger emphasis on elements of science fiction and horror.

Written by Jonathan Swift and originally published in 1726, Gulliver's Travels is an epic saga following an English surgeon and his bewildering voyages to bizarre distant lands, one inhabited by miniature people, another by giants, and more. While most widely recognized as a children's fantasy story, the novel is lauded by scholars for its satirical political allegories, noting its mockery of the European government at the time of its publication.

De Souza released a statement expressing his excitement over working with Gungnir Books.

"What Gungnir is building reminds me of the heyday of Hollywood’s Golden Age, when storytellers were encouraged to bring fresh ideas in every genre to the table. Matthew and his team at Gungnir have created an environment that’s essentially an incubator where ideas are not just protected, but unleashed. They are giving us the freedom to experiment, collaborate and execute stories with unlimited horizons — not to mention unlimited budgets: In the pages of a graphic novel, anything that can be imagined can be realized — a dream scenario for a writer!"

Steven E. de Souza Has More Graphic Novels Under His Sleeve

Gulliver is not the only graphic novel from Steven E. de Souza for fans to look forward to. He has two other titles in the works as part of his deal with Gungnir Books.

For one, the writer is working on a new adventure starring the queen of the jungle herself, Sheena, called Frostline. Described by The Hollywood Reporter as an "action-horror" story, the comic will take the loincloth-clad hero out of her natural African habitat and into an even harsher and much colder terrain.

Sheena is a character originating from the Golden Age of comic books who was created by Will Eisner and Jerry Iger. She made her debut in a 1938 issue of the British magazine Wags before becoming the first female hero to lead her own title three years later, pre-dating Wonder Woman #1 by a year.

De Souza previously rebooted Sheena for Devil's Due Publishing with the release of Sheena, Queen of the Jungle in 2007. The five-part run was followed by the 2008 one-shot Sheena, Trail of the Mapinguari, and the three-part Sheena, Queen of the Jungle: Dark Rising, all of which take place in the author's established continuity.

Also in the works by de Souza is a graphic novel called Earth Patrol Tonight!, which is said to be a lighter tale than Gulliver and his new Sheena story. The plot follows a group of astronauts whose attempt to launch Earth into a state of intergalactic conflict results in disaster.

De Souza's experience with comic book fiction actually predates his career writing for the medium. Namely, he adapted the famous 2000 AD character Judge Dredd into a 1995 feature film starring Sylvester Stallone as the eponymous dystopian lawman.

Before his acclaimed work on the Die Hard series, de Souza got his start as the writer and director of the 1973 stoner comedy Arnold's Wrecking Company before writing for TV shows like The Six Million Dollar Man and Knight Rider. He later broke into action cinema by co-penning Walter Hill's 1982 buddy cop movie classic, 48 Hrs., which led him to work on Arnold Schwarzenegger-led favorites Commando and The Running Man.

He would work with Die Hard star Bruce Willis once more on 1991's Hudson Hawk, for which he received his first Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay, the second of which was for The Flintstones from 1994. That was also the year that saw him return to directing as the helmer of the original Street Fighter movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Steven E. de Souza's Gulliver, Sheena: Frostline, and Earth Patrol Tonight! currently do not have scheduled release dates.