Bruce Willis Talks 'Looper,' Calls It "Really Dark" And Likens It To '12 Monkeys'

Ain’t It Cool News sat down with Bruce Willis and managed to get some information out of him regarding the next Rian Johnson film, “Looper.” As previously reported, the film will also star Joseph Gordon Levitt, who will play the young version of Bruce Willis’s character. The story is about a gang that goes back in time to dispose of bodies of people they have murdered, and Willis’ character will be contracted to kill his younger self (Levitt).

“(The) script is in a handful of scripts that I read and said yes to right away. I was like ‘This is unbelieveable,’… It’s really dark,” said Willis. Though he isn’t exactly an actor to trust given his recent choice of projects (“Cop Out,” “Surrogates”), Rian Johnson is a more than apt director (“Brick” was a solid picture that could’ve been an off-tone mess, “The Brothers Bloom” was an energetic romp) and is likely to put out a product of impressive quality. Willis and AICN’s Quint both liken the film to Terry Gilliam’s near-brilliant film “12 Monkeys,” with Willis saying “hopefully we can shoot it like that.”

While neither of Johnson’s films have pulled in much of a haul (together they’ve made somewhere around $10 million), Willis seems to believe this one will fill some seats. “A guy goes back to kill himself, his own younger self? How is that… I want to go see it right away.” The idea could definitely entice certain audiences, and the inclusion of the bald bad-ass is sure to do some pulling. Levitt is certainly rising, he’s been charming indie audiences as a lead since “Brick” and won himself mainstream appeal with “500 Days of Summer” and best blockbuster of this summer “Inception.”

Those afraid of the film just being a high-concept science fiction film with no heart should think again. “It’s not about time travel as much as it is about mistakes you have made and things you don’t want to do and your little childhood self coming near your adult life going ‘No, you’re not going to do that. I’ve got to fucking kill me.'” We’re glad to hear there’s going to be more to the picture than a showdown between one person at different ages, it seems like the film will deal with having to relive the pains of the past and deciding whether or not to go through with certain things while knowing the outcome. Sure, essential time-travel stuff, but as Johnson proved with his take on noir, he can easily breathe life into things that have been tread and retread countless times.

“Looper” will hopefully shoot early next year.