The 'Lincoln' director is confirmed to serve behind the lens for the Navy Seal biography-adapted film, which stars the 'Limitless' actor.
- May 3, 2013
AceShowbiz -
After helming World War-themed films 1998's "Saving Private Ryan" and 2011's "War Horse", Steven Spielberg takes aim at another war film. The Academy Award-winning filmmaker is now attached to direct "American Sniper", teaming up with Bradley Cooper who leads and produces the project.
Adapted from the autobiography of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle titled "American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History", the upcoming film features Cooper as the late Kyle who has a record 150-plus confirmed kills.
In an interview on NPR's "Fresh Air", Cooper revealed the very reason why he was interested in moving forward with the biopic. "His [Kyle] story really needs to be told, and it's also relevant on two fronts: gun control and the need to address the many soldiers who are coming back with PTSD," he said.
Cooper's production company, 22nd & Indiana Pictures, bought the rights to the book in 2012 with Andrew Lazar's Mad Chance. Peter Morgan and Spielberg assist Cooper and Lazar in producing the film.
"Paranoia" scribe Jason Hall, meanwhile, is on board the project to pen the screenplay as well as executive produce. Sheroum Kim from 22nd and Jon Berg from Warner Bros team up to oversee the project, which is eyeing a first-quarter 2014 start date.
