Bruce Willis to Become an ‘American Assassin’

Bruce Willis in the CIA? The guy has -- on screen, that is -- been part of every other law enforcement organization in the world, so why not take a job with the most secretive one of all.

Willis is in the midst of talks right now to star in a new movie called 'American Assassin' from CBS Films. According to Variety, he'll play a CIA operative who acts as a mentor to a new recruit named Mitch Rapp, who joins the Company after his girlfriend is killed in a terrorist attack.

The director is Jeffrey Nachmanoff, the script by Mike Finch and the actor playing Rapp has yet to be hired.

There was a time when landing Bruce Willis for a role was a huge deal in Hollywood, but nowadays it's a much more hit-and-miss proposition. In the past couple of years, some of his films, like 'Catch .44' and 'Setup' -- yeah, we never heard of them either -- have had either tiny or non-existent theatrical releases before going straight to DVD or cable/VOD.

2012 is so far a mixed bag for the aging action star: he was acclaimed for his starring role in Wes Anderson's quirky 'Moonrise Kingdom' and is already generating terrific (and well-deserved) buzz for his performance in Rian Johnson's 'Looper,' which comes out September 28th. 'Moonrise' has been an indie hit, while the commercial prospects for 'Looper' remain to be seen. Both, however, are excellent films.

Yet at the same time, he appeared in 'The Expendables 2' to so-so box office and reviews, and also shows up in 'The Cold Light of Day,' which slips into theaters tomorrow with almost no promotion and an 8% score on film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. A third 2012 release featuring Willis, 'Lay the Favorite,' doesn't even have U.S. distribution at this point (and let's not forget 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' getting kicked into next year).

Regardless of his more recent, spottier track record, Willis keeps working: he's got 'A Good Day to Die Hard' and 'Red 2' coming out in 2013 as well, and we're truly hoping for 'Looper' to become a big hit. And what the hell, we wish him well with 'American Assassin.'

Where do you think Willis stands at this stage of his career?