HOME TRAILERS 2013 SCHEDULE PODCASTS REVIEWS POSTERS INTERVIEWS SHORT FILMS NEWS FEEDS ABOUT APPS

LATEST NEWS

David O. Russell Could Direct Bradley Cooper in 'American Sniper'

by Ben Pearson
September 10, 2012
Source: THR

After earning a Best Director nomination for his sports drama The Fighter, filmmaker David O. Russell is in the rare position of being able to essentially do whatever he wants for his next project. He has Silver Linings Playbook (no more "The" in the title) coming to theaters soon following its TIFF premiere, and now THR reports that Russell and Playbook star Bradley Cooper could be reuniting on American Sniper, a project Cooper will star in and produce for Warner Bros. with his newly-formed production company. The movie will tell the story of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, the most lethal sniper in American history. More below!

In a Q&A with THR, Russell spoke about how he met with Cooper and wanted to direct him in Pride & Prejudice & Zombies before that adaptation fell apart. The duo have since formed a solid working relationship, with Cooper taking over for former Russell collaborator Mark Wahlberg in Silver Linings Playbook and also snagging a lead role in the untitled project formerly known as American Bullshit alongside Jeremy Renner (who replaced The Fighter star Christian Bale) and Amy Adams.

Russell seems to have left Wahlberg in his rearview and found a new muse in Cooper, saying, "We've also discussed American Sniper, a property Bradley has acquired. I'm really excited to work with him again. He is like an athlete who wants to burst out of the blocks and wants to stretch in all these new ways." Could Russell and Cooper become the next iconic pairing of director and actor, following in the footsteps of Scorsese and De Niro, or more recently DiCaprio? Time will tell, but I'm hoping that Russell's talents behind the camera can bring out Cooper's best performances. Interested?

Filed under Casting, Development, Movie News

From around the web:

Cody W

I believe it was 180 confirmed kills with a claimed 250 from Chris Kyle, I just hope Russell goes more straightforward with it, I love me some sniper movies
alex

isn't this the same Chris Kyle who was caught lying about knocking out Jesse Ventura in a bar? Who knows what else he lied about in his book... Between this, the fale Bin Laden narrative movie coming out (believe me the whole obl kill narrative is a fabrication. one of my relatives was on the ship the body was taken to) what can one conclude other than these movies are propaganda of the Bernadian variety intended to lure more meat into the military industrial complex?
- alex
  
  Bernaysian*
- Steven
  
  I don't understand, are you saying he was killed in a different manner?
  - alex
    
    I have no idea how OBL actually died, but from what I understand from research it was much closer to 2001 than 2011. Someone I know was on the Carl Vinson when the body was taken there. He did not see the body but let's just say there was no "Muslim burial" like the white house likes to say. Basically all narratives you hear from the media are bullshit. We never see any photos or get any info of substance.