Vendetta director says it's 'a special honor' to make one of Bruce Willis' final films

Jared Cohn counts Die Hard as one of his favorite films, so of course it felt like an honor to get John McClane himself involved in his movie.

Bruce Willis stars in Vendetta, written and directed by Cohn, about a man out for revenge against the guy who killed his daughter. According to Cohn, Willis already had a relationship with the producers and so the veteran actor found himself among the company of Clive Standen, Theo Rossi, Thomas Jane, and even Mike Tyson.

Since making the film, Willis' family revealed the star is stepping away from acting in light of his diagnosis of aphasia, a condition they said was "impacting his cognitive abilities." The idea that Vendetta could now be one of Willis' final films feels like "a special honor" to Cohn.

"He is a fantastic actor and great person," the filmmaker said. "It was an honor to be able to spend some time with him."

EW has an exclusive look at the film's first trailer ahead of its Redbox Entertainment premiere May 17.

Standen (Vikings, Everest) stars as William Duncan, an ex-Marine who's left devastated after his teenage daughter is killed during a random gang initiation. When the court acquits her killer, William seeks vengeance. But that act sparks a war with the man's father (Willis) and violent brother (Rossi).

"With this movie, it was about taking a normal guy and putting him in an incredibly stressful situation," Cohn says. "To see how far a loving father will go for his daughter — to strike that chord."

Redbox Theo Rossi and Bruce Willis star in the revenge film 'Vendetta.'

Read more of EW's interview with Cohn below.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Vendetta seems like a film with a lot of action, based on that trailer. Are you referencing any particular action films, or is there an era you're trying to channel?

JARED COHN: I am a big fan of stories where a regular guy is pushed into a violent situation. I wanted Vendetta to be a relatable story, about a family man who's essentially pushed to get revenge because the system is not willing to bring a criminal to justice.

We've seen a few action films with the revenge premise (Tom Clancy's Without Remorse, Wrath of Man, Bloodshot, John Wick, Taken, Upgrade). How is this film offering something different for this particular subgenre?

I was not trying to reinvent the revenge-themed action movie wheel. I am a huge fan of John Wick, Taken, Upgrade — all amazing movies. I was inspired by those films.

How did you become involved in this project?

I wrote the script, so it was a project I brought to the producers. I wanted to do a revenge action movie, and I wanted it to be gritty and dark with interesting characters. As a writer-director, I want to make movies people can relate to. With this movie, it was about taking a normal guy and putting him in an incredibly stressful situation, to see how far a loving father will go for his daughter — to strike that chord.

How did you see the film playing on screen?

I was visualizing as I wrote. At the time of writing we did not have a cast, so I was not writing the parts for anyone in particular, but I wanted each role to be memorable. I liked that the main character started off very good and law-abiding and then basically turns into a killing machine.

Redbox In the movie 'Vendetta,' Clive Standen stars as William Duncan, an ex-Marine out for revenge against the man who killed his daughter.

Clive Standen plays William Duncan, the ex-Marine out for revenge against the man who murdered his daughter. What's important to know about his character going into this film?

I hope people see him as a regular guy, someone they can relate to. A father, husband, working man, a guy who loves and wants to protect his family. A good human being.

The trailer gives us multiple perspectives. Is the film largely told from William's perspective or does it regularly bounce between the characters on the other side?

I don't want to give spoilers, but I will say the movie is mostly told from the perspective of the father who is out for revenge. That said, the story does have scenes from other characters' perspectives that serve to help the audience get the full scope of what's going on in this world.

Redbox Theo Rossi and Bruce Willis in 'Vendetta'

Who does Bruce Willis play in the film?

Bruce Willis plays the father of the criminal kid who killed the innocent girl.

How did Bruce Willis come to be involved?

The producers have worked with Bruce Willis before, so they already had an established working relationship.

What was it like working with him?

It was great. Bruce is a screen legend. He is an amazing actor. Die Hard is one of my favorite movies of all time, so it was an honor to be able to direct him.

What was your reaction to hearing about him stepping away from acting due to his aphasia diagnosis?

He did a great job in Vendetta, and it was my pleasure to work with a legend like Bruce Willis.

Does Vendetta mean more to you now knowing that this could be one of Willis' last films ever?

Being able to write and direct one of the last Bruce Willis movies is a special honor. He is a fantastic actor and great person. It was an honor to be able to spend some time with him.

Do you have any favorite memories of working with Willis on set?

When we were shooting the climax, where Clive Standen's character finally catches up to Bruce Willis' character, they have this intense scene. What I wrote on the page, Bruce and Clive elevated. When Clive was to pull the trigger, Bruce looked at Clive and rose from his chair and walked to a couch in the corner of the room and sat under a partially closed window with a single shaft of light beaming down. Bruce walked and sat in the perfect spot, lit beautifully. He looked at Clive and smirked defiantly. That classic, famous Bruce Willis smirk. It was a subtle yet powerful moment of Bruce asserting his power.

The father-son dynamic between Theo Rossi and Bruce Willis was amazing to see. Bruce played Theo's father, and there is a shot when they enter Clive's house together to kill him — this really nice two-shot. They both had such intense, focused looks on their faces. And during the scene as Bruce is talking, he looks to Theo and they share this bonding moment [as they're] about to kill Clive. I was just lucky to be able to catch it on camera.

Redbox Mike Tyson plays an arms dealer opposite Thomas Jane in the film 'Vendetta.'

Mike Tyson is also in Vendetta. What role is he playing?
Mike Tyson is playing an arms-dealing, chop shop–owning gangster. It was originally a small role, but when we were able to get Mike Tyson, I expanded the role quite a bit, of course!

What kind of energy did Mike bring to the character?
It was really exciting because I grew up watching Mike Tyson destroy people in a boxing ring. I'm such a fan. Everyone was so excited to see him. The energy he brought was great. He was having fun and really did some incredible acting.

Vendetta is available on demand on all major digital platforms, in Redbox kiosks, and in select theaters May 17.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Related content:

• See Bruce Willis in one of his final roles, supervillain Lobe in Corrective Measures

• Everybody's talking about Bruce Willis, so why can't we watch Moonlighting?

• Razzies rescind Bruce Willis' 'worst performance' award and Shelley Duvall's Shining nomination