Willis Steps Behind Camera for ‘Joan’

Bruce Willis, auteur.

Variety reports that Bruce Willis will make his directorial debut with the indie film Three Stories About Joan. He’ll also play a supporting role in the film.

Shockingly, the film is not about three young models named Joan who date a movie star like Willis. Rather, the screenplay by Christopher Alexander and Sam Applebaum ”centers on a young woman at three points in her life and the family tragedies that cause her to lose her grip on reality.” Camilla Belle will play Joan, the young woman with the three stories. Willis will play her father. Kieran Culkin is also in the cast.

Willis is moving into this project after finishing up The Surrogates for Disney. Belle is in the upcoming thriller Push with Djimon Hounsou and Chris Evans.

Do I have any opinion or prediction about Willis’s directorial abilities? Not really. I always think that someone who’s been in the business as long as Willis has, something like two decades, should have a clue how to direct. I don’t know if he’s likely to prove himself a great visual stylist, but he should be able to get through a simple, low-budget drama. And I do think that actors often do just as well if not better at directing actors than many film directors. There are great film directors who are great because they know how to set up shots, know how to use a camera effectively and have a good sense for pace, but aren’t always much at dealing with actors. In these cases, actors are left on their own working with coaches rather than the director. You can always tell when a theater director is making a movie, because they actually rehearse scenes. Anyway, rant aside, sure, go for it, Bruce. Have fun.