Bruce Willis Got ‘Hawk’ for a Song

From an unpublished song to a mega-budget movie . . . that’s the evolution of “Hudson Hawk.”

The Tri-Star Pictures action-comedy, starring Bruce Willis as a reformed cat burglar blackmailed into stealing from the Vatican, is due out May 24.

It got its unlikely start 10 years ago in New York City, when musician Robert Kraft wrote a song about the wind that blows off the Hudson River, and shared it with his buddy--Willis, then a struggling actor.

They worked on the song over the years, developing characters and stories for it, which led to a film treatment, then a screenplay by Stephen De Souza and Daniel Waters.

“It all evolved from this one song into this incredible production,” says Kraft, the film’s executive producer and producer of both of Willis’ albums. “It’s really a dream come true.”

Music is integral to the film: The offbeat Hawk, who disdains wearing a watch, gauges his intricate break-ins by singing songs that he’s timed and memorized. During one, Willis and co-star Danny Aiello duet on “Swingin’ on a Star.”

Kraft, who produced the Oscar- and Grammy-winning soundtrack of “The Little Mermaid,” says a deal is imminent for a “Hawk” album. It will include warbling by Willis and Aiello and other classics by Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. Negotiations are also under way with a “major artist” to sing “Hudson Hawk” over the end titles.

The Joel Silver production was shot over five months on locations here and in Europe, and published reports have put the budget at over $70 million.

“We went a tad over but not as extreme as reported,” Kraft insists. “We’re right at $44 million at this point.”