12 Monkeys is a 1995 American science fiction film directed by Terry Gilliam, inspired by Chris Marker's 1962 short film La Jetée, starring Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, and Brad Pitt, with Christopher Plummer and David Morse in supporting roles. Set in a post-apocalyptic future devastated by an unknown disease, a convict (Willis) is sent back in time to investigate its origin.