Steven Spielberg announced that he will next direct "American Sniper."
The Oscar-winning director will work with Bradley Cooper on the new film penned by Jason Hall. The film will follow a Navy Seal who recounts his military career, which includes more than 150 confirmed kills. It is based on the book "American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History" by Chris Kyle, Scott McEwan and Jim DeFelice.
Spielberg, Cooper, Andrew Lazar, and Peter Morgan will produce with DreamWorks' Kristie Macosko Krieger and Adam Somner overseeing on Spielberg's end. Meanwhile Cooper's production company, 22nd & Indiana Pictures, optioned the rights to the book a year ago. "Sniper" will be a Warner Bros. and DreamWorks Studios co-production.
Cooper recently revealed on NPR that he was very interested in the subject matter and stated "[Kyle's] 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."
Spielberg last directed "Lincoln" which received 12 Academy Award Nominations and won two for Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis) and Art Direction. He also directed "War Horse," "Munich," "Schindler's List," and "Saving Private Ryan."
Cooper is currently in "The Place Beyond the Pines" with Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes and will star in "The Hangover Part 3" and "Serena." He recently quit "Jane Got a Gun" due to scheduling conflicts and announced that he will star in a new movie entitled "Chef." He is currently shooting the new David O. Russell film "American Hustle" with Jennifer Lawrence, Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner.
The film is expected to start shooting in early 2014 with a release date to be determined at a later time.