Cole (Bruce Willis) is sent back in time to save the human race from a deadly virus that has forced mankind into dank underground communities in the future. Along his travels, he encounters a psychiatrist (Madeleine Stowe) and a mental patient, brilliantly portrayed by Brad Pitt, who may hold the key to the mysterious rogue group, the Army of the 12 Monkeys, thought to be responsible for unleashing the killer disease. Believing he can obtain a pure virus sample in order to find a cure in the future, he is met with one riddle after another that puts him in a race with time. This sci-fi masterpiece from the genius mind of Terry Gilliam is a modern-day classic.
When Universal Pictures bought the remake right’s to La Jetée, the studio hired Blade Runner screenwriter David Peoples to write the new version. Terry Gilliam, who usually directs his own scripts, found Peoples’ work to be an “intriguing and intelligent script.” What resulted is a uniquely Gilliam-branded tale of non-linear madness.