Yahoo! just released the first ever images of Bruce Willis in MGM’s remake of Death Wish, which was directed by none other than Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever, Green Inferno).
Written by Roth, Dean Georgaris and Joe Carnahan, Death Wish will be released on November 22 by Annapurna Pictures.
The original 1974 film was based on the Brian Garfield novel about vigilante Paul Kersey (played by Charles Bronson), who goes after criminals when his wife is murdered and his daughter is left catatonic after being sexually assaulted during a home invasion. It’s an action-packed classic that’s remake was destined for Willis to star in.
Willis plays Paul Kersey, a soft-tempered family man who turns hard with a vengeance after his wife (Elizabeth Shue) and daughter (Camila Morrone) are the victims of a violent home invasion.
“We wanted to bring back that great, classic Bruce Willis we all know and love and just do a fun, badass update of a revered classic,” Roth told the site. “I wanted to bring Bruce back to that Fifth Element, Unbreakable, Die Hard glory and have him craft another iconic performance, and I really think he did it. I mean I really think this can be his Taken. The fun is watching him go crazy and watching someone slowly move the moral goal post.”
“What’s interesting about Death Wish is it’s not a CIA guy who’s coming out of retirement, you know, he’s not John Wick, he’s not a professional assassin,” Roth said. “He’s a normal guy, he’s a surgeon, he’s a dad, he’s never picked up a gun in his life.” This Paul Kersey learns how to handle steel by watching YouTube videos and at one point almost gets merked by his own ricocheted bullet.
“And with each kill as he gets closer to finding the people that did this to his family, he gains a new skill. He gets better and better and better. So by the end of the film he’s really much closer to John McClane… The very things that make him a good surgeon are what eventually make him a great killer.”
