Age Won't Stop Bruce Willis' Action Ways
Filed under: Action, Casting, Deals
Once he got a taste of Die Hard, Bruce Willis was a changed man, moving from detective comedy to action hero. 21 years later, at age 54, the guy is still not stopping. In fact, he's getting offers for action gigs left, right, and center. Is this the secret for staving off age? Well, that and a face that works well with a smoothly shaved noggin?THR's Risky Biz Blog reports that Willis is currently in talks to head three action films, although not all of them are heading down that path to success. First, there's Inventory, a thriller from NuImage/Millenium that would have the actor become a detective hunting down a murderer. Then there's Red (not to be confused with last year's Red), based on the WildStorm/DC Comic. This would have Willis playing a former black-ops agent forced out of retirement when an assassin comes after him and his girlfriend. This gig, however, could fizzle because so far, the two sides can't agree on a suitable offer. And finally, there's Scarpa, a mob biopic in the works from Antoine Fuqua, where he'd play an undercover FBI informant in New York's Columbo family. But RBB says: "the odds are growing that WIllis won't do that pic" either.
Well, he can't do every cop/law film that comes his way, even if he is the irreplacable John McClane. I can see him stepping back a little. I mean, how will he find the time? It's not like he's been lying low since Live Free or Die Hard -- he's got projects like Surrogates and A Couple of Dicks on the way. Willis might be the quintessential man of policedom, but where do you like Willis best? Do you want to see him keep fighting his way through the baddies, or are you just waiting for the next mellow Sixth Sense?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-30-2009 @ 9:22AM
c said...
I would really like to see him in Red. That comic was a nice self-contained Warren Ellis story. It is perfect for a action movie.
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4-30-2009 @ 10:47AM
Astin said...
I like Willis best in the first 3 Die Hards, and brief moments of "John McClane, superhero" AKA Die Hard 4.
He's also great when he's just a bit off-kilter. Pulp Fiction comes to mind of course. He does have solid slapstick instinct that doesn't necessarily come into play often enough these days.
Then again, Hudson Hawk is a bit of a guilty pleasure...
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4-30-2009 @ 1:35PM
Dan said...
Hudson Hawk is a really enjoyable movie, and a good one too. I'll stand by that! Since Die Hard is one of my all time favorites, I'm inclined to say I like Willis as an action star, but it's not like he doesn't have pretty good comedic chops too, so I like to see him mix it up. John McClane might be one of the coolest action heros ever, but Blind Date is still pretty goddamn funny.
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4-30-2009 @ 2:35PM
Cincinnati Mike said...
Sgt Rock. SGT ROCK!!!
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5-01-2009 @ 1:50AM
Riley Freeman said...
honestly i loved live free or die hard i wouldnt mind another die hard movie
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5-01-2009 @ 10:55AM
Mukman said...
Except for that whole car/helicopter thing, and buildings conveniently placed close to parking garages...
I'll just stop there.
I like my action, and I can displace reality to a degree, but when I'm pummeled with "amazing", I tend to be removed from the movie.
Live Free was enjoyable although ridiculous at times.
5-03-2009 @ 10:39PM
davos said...
I just finished re-watching Bonfire of the Vanities and was surprised at how well he played that type of almost-confident screw-up. It's his comedic persona variation that came out in Moonlighting, and Death Becomes Her, and later on (sort of) in The Whole Nine Yards. While I was super happy that Sixth Sense put him back on the radar, I'd say I'd be more excited to see him in something more lively.
Live Free was super-heroish but balanced the whole old man in the new world feel (his rant in the car about being "that guy" still brings a tear to my eye). It's the same thing that pops up in my favorite films of his - Last Man Standing, Last Boy Scout, and, of course, Die Hard. Anything that's too normal would seem to harken back to the post Die Hard days of Striking Distance and its ilk, so "Inventory" and Fuqua can go away, but - though I'm not an Ellis fan - Red seems like an excellent match.
Uh... Obviously I can talk about this for too long.
But to answer the question: Willis can continually remake his everyman Die Hard films and I'll still love him for it, and if Hudson Hawk 2 ever comes out I'll totally proclaim the man a genius.
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