Bruce Willis to Save World in 2036

The asteroid Apophis might crash into the Earth on April 13, 2036. NASA says that the chance of impact is slim, but actor Bruce Willis is counting on it.

Apophis, named after the Egyptian god of darkness and the void, is an estimated 25 million tons and almost three football fields long. If it hit earth, the asteroid would strike with 68,000 times the force of the atom bomb that leveled Hiroshima, and would destroy almost all life on the planet.

"I want this opportunity," said Bruce Willis, "I want to save the Earth, and I think I can do it."

One of the biggest action movie stars of all time, Bruce Willis played a deep-sea oil driller in the 1998 blockbuster Armageddon. In the film, Willis (as Harry Stamper) saved the world from destruction by sacrificing himself in the waning moments in order to detonate a nuclear bomb that would alter the trajectory of the asteroid.

According to NASA, that scenario is pretty accurate. In the event of impact, we would have two options: destroy or deflect.

"Essentially, Bruce Willis has had virtual training in saving the world," said a representative from NASA. "Just like in the movie, we don't really have a better plan than him."

Willis, now 55, will be 81 at the time of collision, but the actor says that there is a workaround to the age issue.

"Stunt double," he said. "Or just CGI me. Cinematic technology will be incredible by then."

Bruce Willis is from New Jersey.

Originally featured in http://dailypygmy.com/?p=498