John McTiernan says he will appeal the sentence he got for his role in the Anthony Pellicano wiretapping case, but not because he's afraid to go to prison.

ADVERTISEMENT

The "Die Hard," "Predator" and "Rollerball" director was sentenced to a year in prison for lying about hiring private detective Pellicano to wiretap producer Charles Roven.

"We're already filing the papers. I've already paid the appeals lawyer," McTiernan told The Hollywood Reporter.

Asked if he is optimistic that he will not serve the sentence, McTiernan told the entertainment industry trade newspaper: "I didn't start this because I was afraid to go to jail. It would have been much easier to go to jail. And less expensive. And some of the minimum-security prison camps are not bad, and there are actually interesting people there. That isn't why I started this fight. I started because these people have less respect for the law than they accuse me of having."