Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan star in ‘Cop Out’

Movie: "Cop Out"

When: Opening Friday at local theaters

Cast: Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, Seann William Scott

Director: Kevin Smith

The story: In this comedy, two New York cops go after a memorabilia-obsessed gangster who has stolen a rare, mint-condition baseball card.

The buzz: Robin Williams and James Gandolfini were initially slated to star in a previous incarnation of the script by Robb and Mark Cullen (TV's "Las Vegas"), which was on 2008's "Black List," an unofficial guide to Hollywood's top unproduced screenplays. It's also the first time Kevin Smith ("Clerks," "Zack and Miri Make a Porno") has directed someone else's script. These days, however, Smith (alias Silent Bob in, among other movies, "Clerks," "Chasing Amy," "Dogma" and "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back") may be better known for his real-life role as a Southwest Airlines passenger booted from a flight for being too large to fit into a single seat.