IMDb: Willis Almost Missed Out on HOSTAGE

Hollywood tough guy Bruce Willis almost missed out on securing the film rights to Robert Crais' novel Hostage, because he left his copy of the book on a shelf for a month after he bought it in 2001. The Die Hard actor finally found time to delve into the tense thriller and was so engrossed he immediately enquired about purchasing the film rights - and was amazed nobody else had got there first. The 49-year-old says, "I bought the book and it sat on my shelf for about a month. I picked it up and got caught up in it, read it overnight and called and asked about the rights. Fortunately they were available. That was about four years ago." In the film adaptation, Willis stars as jaded small town cop Jeff Talley who is forced into the firing line when his family are taken prisoner in their own home.