Bruce Willis' most successful film, M. Night Shyamalan's best movies in their respective careers.

There is a good chance that Bruce Willis would not have starred in The Sixth Sense, which could have changed the trajectory of both Willis and Shyamalan's careers, but one Willis movie set to be released just a few years prior to The Sixth Sense ended up going unfinished. Because of that fiasco, The Sixth Sense had everything it needed to become a sensation.

Bruce Willis' Canceled Broadway Brawler Movie Explained

It Was Supposed To Be The Next Jerry Maguire

Intended to be released by Disney in 1997, Broadway Brawler was a Bruce Willis-led romantic comedy intended to be in the same vein as Jerry Maguire. Maura Tierney was cast alongside Willis and was to be directed by Lee Grant. It didn't work out, though, and after 20 days of shooting, Bruce Willis ended up firing a handful of people, which led to Disney shutting down production. Among those fired from the project were Lee Grant, cinematographer William A. Fraker, wardrobe designer Carol Oditz, and Willis' co-producer Joe Feury, who was the husband of Lee Grant.

With a decent portion of the budget already used, Willis attempted to bring in another director to salvage the movie, but it proved fruitless, and the movie was completely scrapped. Given that Broadway Brawler had gone through two years of pre-production and 20 days of shooting, Disney was losing out on a sizable amount of money. Because of this, Disney and Bruce Willis brokered a deal that allowed for some of his biggest hits to be made.

The Sixth Sense Only Happened Because Of A Deal Bruce Willis Cut With Disney

The Sixth Sense Is Now One Of Willis' Most Memorable Roles

Even though Bruce Willis waived his fee for Broadway Brawler, Disney had lost money because of his decisions, which led to them considering legal action against him. Instead of that happening, Bruce Willis and Disney cut a deal for him to star in three new projects with a greatly reduced salary to help them recoup the costs. Willis obviously took the deal and starred in Armageddon, The Kid, and The Sixth Sense.

All three films made good money for Disney, with Armageddon and The Sixth Sense being mega-hits.

If the situation with Broadway Brawler didn't happen, it is reasonable to assume that Bruce Willis might never have starred in The Sixth Sense, especially if his salary was too much for the rather modestly-budgeted M. Night Shyamalan film. Thankfully, it worked out quite well, and The Sixth Sense ended up being the most successful film in Bruce Willis' long and illustrious career, as well as Shyamalan's.