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Early on in his career, Bruce Willis was known for his role in Die Hard. He needed a major changed and that would happen alongside M. Night Shyamalan, and the many films they would go on to work together.
Ultimately, it was especially true for The Sixth Sense, as the film made a fortune at the box office, while Willis also walked away from the film with the biggest payout of his career.
However, getting such an opportunity came out of a punishment… Those involved in the film Broadway Brawler had a tough time alongside Willis, so much so that the production shutdown completely. We’ll take a look at what went down, and how Disney forced Willis into three films.
Bruce Willis Caused Chaos On The Set Of Broadway Brawler
Set for a release with Disney in 1997, things completely fell apart for Bruce Willis as a producer on the set of Broadway Brawler. The film had promise but ultimately, the production was completely derailed because of Willis and his problems with the creative direction of the film.
Back in the late ’90s, the LA Times covered the story, explaining why the production shut down completely.
“The saga started Feb. 28, when Willis, also a producer on the film, abruptly halted the Wilmington, Del., production, firing Grant and her producer-husband, Joe Feury (who say they brought Willis aboard), cinematographer William Fraker and wardrobe designer Carol Oditz–all veterans in the business,” the LA Times writes.
The film was supposed to be a comparative to Jerry Maguire, though ultimately, the $28 million budget was completely scrapped. Those on set blamed the failed production on Willis and the fact that he was overusing his amount of power on the film.
Given the lost budget, Disney could have sued Willis for the failed project. Instead, both sides agreed on a deal that saw Willis agree to a three picture contract. Although Bruce may have been reluctant to sign the deal, the films with Disney ended up changing his entire career, finally away from the Die Hard shadow.
Disney Forced Bruce Willis Into A Three Picture Deal, Starting With Armageddon
The first picture Willis took on was none other than the classic, Armageddon. Disney was eager to put out the film at the time, given that Paramount had a similar film in the works, Deep Impact.
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Although Willis thrived in the film, again, his conduct at the start was a bit different compared to everyone else cast in the film.
Alongside Collider, Michael Bay spoke about his first time working with Willis.
“Bruce came in a month after we were shooting. And he was tough. What I realized psychology-wise, actors, it’s always psychology. And he just wanted to feel like top dog. Because everyone was there for a month, everyone was sort of friends. Then Bruce comes in, and he wanted to kind of assert himself.”
Things would finally smoothen over between the two when Willis saw some footage of what he had missed up until that point. It allowed Willis to gain a little more respect and knowledge for the director he was working with.
The Second Film With Disney, The Sixth Sense Changed Bruce Willis’ Career
Next up was the film that changed Willis’ career, The Sixth Sense. The film generated $672 million at the box office, while Willis took home the biggest salary of his career, topping $100 million thanks to backend profits.
M. Night Shyamalan was especially pleased with Bruce’s role in the film, and how he was able to change the way the audience looked at him.
M. Night Shyamalan tells the Hollywood Reporter, “It was a wonderful opportunity for me to bring that out of him. He was so excited about doing that. He’s the guy who didn’t have the gun.”
“When Donnie’s character shows up in the beginning, he doesn’t know what to do. He loved playing somebody who didn’t know what to do. I think that just kind of launched us into a more vulnerable, complicated version of Bruce that’s so lovely.”
Who would’ve thought that the two film roles that Disney forced on him, changed his career.
Finally, his third film was another big hit, Unbreakable. Together, the three films amassed over $1.2 billion at the box office.
