# Action Scene
**Action Scene** is the original title of *Die Hart*, an American action-comedy streaming series starring [Kevin Hart](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-hart) as a fictionalized version of himself trying to become an action star. It was announced for the short-form mobile streaming service Quibi in July 2019 and premiered on July 20, 2020 under the renamed title[1](https://www.thewrap.com/kevin-hart-to-star-in-comedic-series-action-scene-for-quibi/) • [2](https://www.ajc.com/life/radiotvtalk-blog/kevin-harts-becomes-an-action-star-in-quibis-comedy-die-hart/WW2ZYPLYQBGCVFX7CHL4N3T25Y/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Announced | July 30, 2019, as a Quibi original produced by Hart's Laugh Out Loud Network[1](https://www.thewrap.com/kevin-hart-to-star-in-comedic-series-action-scene-for-quibi/) |
| Premise | A fictionalized Kevin Hart, rejected for a major action-movie role, fights his way through over-the-top action sequences with help from Hollywood action heroes[1](https://www.thewrap.com/kevin-hart-to-star-in-comedic-series-action-scene-for-quibi/) |
| Renamed | Retitled *Die Hart* when John Travolta was cast as action star school coach Ron Wilcox in February 2020[3](https://www.thewrap.com/john-travolta-star-opposite-kevin-hart-quibi-die-hart-action-comedy-series/) |
| First season | 10 episodes of about 8 minutes each, all released July 20, 2020 on Quibi[2](https://www.ajc.com/life/radiotvtalk-blog/kevin-harts-becomes-an-action-star-in-quibis-comedy-die-hart/WW2ZYPLYQBGCVFX7CHL4N3T25Y/) |
| Later life | Revived as a free Roku Original after Quibi's collapse; renewed for *Die Harter* and later seasons, running 25 episodes through December 2024[4](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-06-22/kevin-hart-quibi-roku-die-hart) • [5](https://epguides.com/DieHart/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
The story begins at an audition. Kevin Hart, playing Kevin Hart, wants the one thing his career has never given him: a real action-movie role. An A-list action movie director rejects him for the part, and the sting of that no is the engine of the whole show. Wandering away from the meeting, he randomly runs into a leading A-list action movie star, and that chance encounter sets off a chain of events that forces him to fight his way through a series of over-the-top action sequences.[9](https://deadline.com/2019/07/kevin-hart-to-star-in-action-scene-for-quibi-1202656706/)
**From there the series works like a highlight reel of action-movie set pieces played for laughs: car chases, gunfights, and hand-to-hand brawls in which a comedian who has never done this for real has to fake it, badly, until he gradually stops faking it.** Each episode is essentially one set piece, sized for Quibi's ten-minute episode cap, with Hart playing a version of himself who cannot quite believe what is happening to him.[10](https://watchcharge.com/kevin-hart-to-star-as-an-action-star-wannabe-in-new-series-action-scene/) The fictional Kevin is living the opening scene of an action movie without ever having been cast in one, and each episode hands him a bigger, more absurd piece of one.
The premise has a pedigree. It was based on the frenetic opening scene of Hart's 2016 concert film *Kevin Hart: What Now?*, which staged an elaborate action sequence as a fake movie before the comedy began, and *Action Scene* spins that cold open out into a whole series.[9](https://deadline.com/2019/07/kevin-hart-to-star-in-action-scene-for-quibi-1202656706/) The draw for viewers is watching Hart, a performer whose brand is panicked, fast-talking self-deprecation, dropped into the choreography of a *John Wick*-style thriller written by the man who created *John Wick*.
### Characters
**Kevin Hart** (Kevin Hart) plays a fictionalized version of himself: a superstar comedian who wants to be taken seriously as an action hero, is told no, and then gets the role of his life in the worst possible way, by being trapped inside one. His company, Laugh Out Loud, produced the series.[9](https://deadline.com/2019/07/kevin-hart-to-star-in-action-scene-for-quibi-1202656706/)
The A-list action star whose chance meeting with Kevin sets the plot in motion is the series' second anchor, the real-deal action hero whose world Kevin blunders into.[9](https://deadline.com/2019/07/kevin-hart-to-star-in-action-scene-for-quibi-1202656706/)
## Development and announcement
Quibi, the short-form streaming service co-founded by [Jeffrey Katzenberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeffrey-katzenberg) and [Meg Whitman](https://www.edgepedia.org/meg-whitman), announced *Action Scene* on July 30, 2019, with Hart starring and serving as executive producer alongside Laugh Out Loud president Jeff Clanagan. Dave Becky was also listed as an executive producer on the project[1](https://www.thewrap.com/kevin-hart-to-star-in-comedic-series-action-scene-for-quibi/). The premise followed Hart's fictionalized self after he is rejected for the action role of a lifetime; a chance encounter with an A-list action star sets off a chain of events that forces him through a series of comedically over-the-top action sequences[1](https://www.thewrap.com/kevin-hart-to-star-in-comedic-series-action-scene-for-quibi/).
Hart and Clanagan had previously collaborated with director [Tim Story](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-story) on the action-filled opening sequence of the 2016 concert film *Kevin Hart: What Now?*, which the series drew on for its concept[1](https://www.thewrap.com/kevin-hart-to-star-in-comedic-series-action-scene-for-quibi/). The project was planned as the first production of its kind from Laugh Out Loud[6](https://popculture.com/celebrity/news/kevin-hart-video-painful-accident-amid-car-wreck-recovery/).
## Becoming Die Hart
In February 2020, Quibi announced that [John Travolta](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-travolta) would star opposite Hart and that the series had been retitled *Die Hart*, a nod to the *Die Hard* films. In the revised premise, Hart's character trains at the world's greatest action star school, run by a lunatic coach (Travolta), while facing off against a tough-minded rival student. Eric Appel directed, with Tripper Clancy and [Derek Kolstad](https://www.edgepedia.org/derek-kolstad) writing, and production was to begin within days[3](https://www.thewrap.com/john-travolta-star-opposite-kevin-hart-quibi-die-hart-action-comedy-series/).
The show was shot in metro Atlanta, mostly in East Point, Stone Mountain, and the West End, and wrapped just before pandemic shutdowns halted production in Georgia in March 2020[2](https://www.ajc.com/life/radiotvtalk-blog/kevin-harts-becomes-an-action-star-in-quibis-comedy-die-hart/WW2ZYPLYQBGCVFX7CHL4N3T25Y/). Filming took place only months after Hart seriously injured his back in a car accident, a concern for the producers since Hart performs much of his own kicking, punching, and wire work despite having a stunt double[2](https://www.ajc.com/life/radiotvtalk-blog/kevin-harts-becomes-an-action-star-in-quibis-comedy-die-hart/WW2ZYPLYQBGCVFX7CHL4N3T25Y/).
## Broadcast history
The ten-episode first season debuted on Quibi on July 20, 2020, with episodes of roughly eight minutes, short enough that the writer had to build a cliffhanger into every installment while keeping the whole usable as a continuous film[2](https://www.ajc.com/life/radiotvtalk-blog/kevin-harts-becomes-an-action-star-in-quibis-comedy-die-hart/WW2ZYPLYQBGCVFX7CHL4N3T25Y/). Quibi reported it was the service's most-viewed show of that summer, though the company did not release viewer figures[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2945690/news/). The Guardian's survey of Quibi's catalog described the show far less favorably, with the critic abandoning it after three episodes[8](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/oct/23/quick-bye-i-watched-all-of-quibis-quick-bites-so-you-never-have-to).
Quibi shut down later in 2020, and Roku acquired the license rights to its library of about 75 original shows in January 2021, making them available for free on the ad-supported Roku Channel[4](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-06-22/kevin-hart-quibi-roku-die-hart). *Die Hart* debuted there on May 20, 2021 among the first 30 former Quibi titles, drew a record-setting premiere weekend, and became the first Roku Original renewed for a second season, titled *Die Harter*[4](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-06-22/kevin-hart-quibi-roku-die-hart) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2945690/news/). The series ultimately ran 25 episodes through December 2024 across three seasons, ending with *Die Hart 3: Hart to Kill*[5](https://epguides.com/DieHart/).
## References
1. [Kevin Hart to Star in Comedic Series 'Action Scene' for Quibi, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/kevin-hart-to-star-in-comedic-series-action-scene-for-quibi/)
2. [Kevin Hart becomes an 'action star' in Quibi's comedy 'Die Hart', The Atlanta Journal-Constitution](https://www.ajc.com/life/radiotvtalk-blog/kevin-harts-becomes-an-action-star-in-quibis-comedy-die-hart/WW2ZYPLYQBGCVFX7CHL4N3T25Y/)
3. [John Travolta to Star Opposite Kevin Hart in Quibi 'Die Hart' Action-Comedy Series, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/john-travolta-star-opposite-kevin-hart-quibi-die-hart-action-comedy-series/)
4. [Why Kevin Hart's Quibi series is 'huge' on the Roku Channel, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-06-22/kevin-hart-quibi-roku-die-hart)
5. [Die Hart (a Titles & Air Dates Guide), epguides.com](https://epguides.com/DieHart/)
6. [Kevin Hart Reveals Video of Painful On-Set Accident Amid Car Wreck Recovery, PopCulture.com](https://popculture.com/celebrity/news/kevin-hart-video-painful-accident-amid-car-wreck-recovery/)
7. [Tripper Clancy News, aggregating Variety Film + TV coverage of Die Hart's Roku renewal, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2945690/news/)
8. [Quick bye: I watched all of Quibi's 'quick bites' so you never have to, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/oct/23/quick-bye-i-watched-all-of-quibis-quick-bites-so-you-never-have-to)
9. [https://deadline.com/2019/07/kevin-hart-to-star-in-action-scene-for-quibi-1202656706/](https://deadline.com/2019/07/kevin-hart-to-star-in-action-scene-for-quibi-1202656706/)
10. [https://watchcharge.com/kevin-hart-to-star-as-an-action-star-wannabe-in-new-series-action-scene/](https://watchcharge.com/kevin-hart-to-star-as-an-action-star-wannabe-in-new-series-action-scene/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Web-native and streaming-original series › Comedy, drama, and general-genre web series › Premiered 2017 to 2021*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license