Bruce Willis Enlists Famke Janssen To Help Rescue His Dog
While Bruce Willis is primarily known for his action films and a smattering of thrillers, fans often forget that Mr. Willis has also done a fair amount of comedies with an ability to deliver laughs that first showed itself when Bruce Willis starred as David Addison, Jr. in ABC’s Moonlighting. Bruce is returning to comedy with a vengeance in an as-of-yet-untitled film in which Willis will again play a private detective.
Bruce Willis is set to star as a private eye in Los Angeles whose professional and personal worlds collide when his dog is stolen by a gang. The leader of that gang (which Jason Momoa is in negotiations to play) ends up with the dog and forces the private eye to do some jobs for him. Willis’ character will be assisted by a geeky associate of the private detective, who will possibly be played by Thomas Middleditch.
Also joining the cast will be Famke Janssen and, while Ms. Janssen’s name does add more star power to the untitled Bruce Willis comedy, Famke’s comedic roles have been few and far between. Most recently, Janssen starred in the 2007 comedy The Ten as Gretchen Reigert, but Famke’s roles since then have been focused primarily in action films and thrillers.
Ms. Janssen has been cast as Bruce Willis’ sister-in-law in the upcoming film. The fact that there has not yet been any mention of a wife to play opposite Bruce, it may be that his character is either divorced or widowed, leaving an opportunity for Famke to play Willis’ romantic interest.
It seems odd that, of the known actors currently tapped to star in this film, three of them are virtually unknown to the comedy genre. Even Jason Momoa, who will play the primary antagonist in this dog-napping farce, hasn’t had the comedic experience one would expect from actors filling roles in this type of film.
Thomas Middleditch may be the one exception, considering his recent work on Silicon Valley and The Campaign, just to name a few of the actor’s more recent credits in the comedy genre. Will Middleditch be enough to carry this film, if Bruce Willis, Famke Janssen, and Jason Momoa prove to be uninspiring in their roles? That remains to be seen, but it should be interesting to see this haphazard team scouring Los Angeles in search of Bruce’s beloved pooch.
Behind the scenes of this untitled Bruce Willis comedy, Nicolas Chartier, Zev Foreman, and Lauren Ford have been brought in to produce, while Robb Cullen and Mark Cullen will direct the film for Voltage Pictures. It is too early in the process to determine the release date.
[Featured image: Bruce Willis courtesy of Theo Wargo/Getty Images; Famke Janssen courtesy of Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images]
