Kaunda Selisho

By Kaunda Selisho

Journalist


Assassin starring Nomzamo Mbatha and Bruce Willis to hit cinemas at the end of March

SA actress Nomzamo Mbatha stars in a lead role in 'Assassin' that sees her work closely with legendary actor, Bruce Willis.


The action-packed Assassin film starring Nomzamo Mbatha in a lead role alongside the legendary Bruce Willis and Prison Break star Dominic Purcell is set to finally hit theatres at the end of March.

According to Mbatha, the film will be available in theatres and on-demand on 31 March 2023. 

What is ‘Assassin’ about?

Produced by Saban Films, Assassin follows Bruce Willis who leads a private military operation that invents futuristic microchip tech that enables the mind of an agent to inhabit the body of another person to carry out covert, deadly missions. 

But when an agent (played by Mustafa Shakir) is killed during a secret mission, his wife (Nomzamo Mbatha) takes his place in an attempt to bring the man responsible to Justice.

The film will available on Apple TV but it is currently unclear if it will be available in South African theatres. 

Bruce Willis’ last movie?

There have been questions about whether or not this will be Willis’ last movie because it was recently confirmed that the actor has been diagnosed with untreatable dementia. 

The news was confirmed by his family less than a year after he retired from acting because of growing cognitive difficulties.

The 67-year-old US actor, known for his role in the Die Hard franchise, stepped away from Hollywood in March and has been out of the limelight since then.

“Since we announced Bruce’s diagnosis of aphasia in spring 2022, Bruce’s condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia,” a statement said.

WATCH: Official ‘Assassin’ Trailer

Willis has been a fixture on the small and large screen since the 1980s, coming to public prominence in the TV series Moonlighting.

But it was as hard-bitten hero John McClane in Die Hard that he became a bankable major star of the cinema, sparking a career that has generated billions of dollars of box office revenue.

Despite the tough-guy image, he has also had much success with more family-friendly fare, and provided the voice for the baby in the popular Look Who’s Talking. Another of his best-known roles was as the dead person that child actor Haley Joel Osment could see in The Sixth Sense.

Mbatha has been hailed for securing a role in Assassin due to how prolific Willis’ acting career is. The actress – who has thus far starred in Coming 2 America – moved overseas some years ago to pursue a career on the world stage and she joins the ranks of celebrities like Trevor Noah, Thuso Mbedu and Pretty Yende who are South Africans conquering international careers. 

READ NEXT: Nomzamo’s ‘Coming 2 America’ role unpacked as old critics resurface

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