Bold claim: Roderick Thorp’s literary breadth is finally getting its due, not just one iconic tale. The estate behind Thorp, best known for Nothing Lasts Forever—the source material that inspired Die Hard—is accelerating a broader slate of film and TV adaptations from his catalog. And this is where it gets interesting… there are multiple unmined titles, including Hot Pursuit, Thorp’s other action thriller, poised to re-enter the spotlight.
Judy Coppage of The Coppage Company is leading the charge. Having represented Thorp for much of his career, Coppage has already shepherded several Thorp novels to the screen and now aims to reintroduce audiences to the author behind one of cinema’s most enduring action franchises. She notes that Thorp’s body of work holds more than a single success, underscoring the potential of multiple unadapted novels waiting to find new life in theaters and streaming.
Hot Pursuit—a thriller about a Coast Guard lieutenant commander who, after his wife is kidnapped, is drawn into a brutal chase with a powerful drug lord—was written earlier in Thorp’s career but didn’t find a publisher at first. It was published posthumously and has since progressed to a feature screenplay as part of this revival push. The premise, grounded in procedural realism drawn from Thorp’s early exposure to investigative settings (including time near a private detective agency), mirrors the high-stakes tension that readers and viewers associate with his best-known work.
Thorp, born in the Bronx in 1936, found his breakthrough with The Detective in 1966, introducing NYPD character Joe Leland. That novel was adapted into a 1968 film starring Frank Sinatra. Leland’s archetype later influenced Die Hard’s John McClane, with Nothing Lasts Forever continuing his saga as an aging cop fending off terrorists who seize a skyscraper during a Christmas party—a premise famously reimagined for the screen by John McTiernan.
Other Thorp titles already adapted for screen include Rainbow Drive and Devlin, both turned into Showtime TV movies. This ongoing initiative aims to expand Thorp’s legacy beyond a single blockbuster, inviting new audiences to discover a broader catalog of thrillers that blend procedural realism with relentless pursuit and high-stakes action.
What’s your take on reviving classic authors’ catalogs for modern adaptions? Do you think Hot Pursuit could shine as a fresh franchise pillar, or should focus stay on the Die Hard lineage? Share your thoughts in the comments.
