I used to be a fan of Bruce Willis, but I feel the actor has lost something in recent years. He may be working more than ever, it seems like he’s in a new direct-to-video thriller every month, but he no longer appears to be putting in any effort. He just shows up on the set to be Bruce Willis in front of the camera. The biggest disappointment in a film that delivered disappointment at every turn was when Willis just played Bruce Willis in A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD instead of reprising the role of John McClane.
Willis will soon be working on stage, and maybe this will be the project that causes him to find that old spark within himself. He’ll be starring in a stage adaptation of Stephen King’s 1987 novel MISERY as Paul Sheldon, a best-selling author who is held captive and tortured by his “number one fan” Annie Wilkes.
Elizabeth Marvel was set to play Annie Wilkes, but Deadline reports that she has had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. Her replacement is a promising one: Laurie Metcalf, who proved she can play insane with the best of them in SCREAM 2. Even if Willis remains lackadaisical, Metcalf is sure to be fun to watch.
MISERY was previously made into a 1990 film that was directed by Rob Reiner and starred James Caan and Kathy Bates as Sheldon and Wilkes. The screenplay adaptation was handled by William Goldman, who has also written the stage version.
Directed by Will Frears, the MISERY play will be housed in Broadway’s Broadhurst Theatre. Performances begin on October 22nd ahead of its November 15th opening night, after which it will run for sixteen weeks.
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