American Sniper has been something of a passion project for Bradley Cooper. He initially had Steven Spielberg attached to direct, but when our former editor passed, Clint Eastwood took on the job. The film is set for release here early next year and the first images have arrived via USA Today.
Jason Hall adapted Navy SEAL Chris Kyle’s book, subtitled The Autobiography Of The Most Lethal Sniper In US Military. That recorded Kyle’s career as a Texas-born shooter who notched the highest number of recorded kills for an American. But his dedication to his sights and his SEAL mates has an impact on his relationship with his wife (Sienna Miller). And in a tragic twist, Kyle was killed at a shooting range by the traumatised fellow veteran who he and a friend were helping post-military service.
"Thank God I got to talk to him once on the phone,'' Cooper tells the paper’s site. "It was a very quick conversation. But I did tell him how serious I was about making this movie. And he should just know that whatever fears he had about Hollywood, to just put them aside and trust me. That I was going to do everything I could to tell this story."
According to the actor/producer, this was an important job. "I had to do right by him and his family, there was really no choice," he says. "You're sitting across the dining-room table talking to this person's father and mother. And his children and wife are there. And he's passed away. Knowing that they are putting all of their stories in your hands and the responsibly of that, it's actually unique."
For more from Cooper (and Hall), head to USA Today’s site. American Sniper arrives in the States on Christmas Day and makes it to the UK on January 16.