Steven Spielberg Takes on "American Sniper"

East Hampton‘s Steven Spielberg has agreed to direct the film adaptation of American Sniper, the memoir of Chris Kyle, the most lethal sniper in American military history, who had 160 confirmed kills and was killed as a civilian early this year.

The film was optioned by fellow Hamptons visitor Bradley Cooper, who will play Kyle, a member of Navy SEAL Team 3. The actor told NPR that the film was important to make, noting, “[Kyle‘s] story, first of all, needs to be told… And it’s also relevant on two fronts. One, gun control, and two, the needs to address this—the many soldiers that are coming back with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.”

Though Kyle had already retired from the Navy, he spent much time training snipers and helping soldiers with PTSD after they returned from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was gunned down by one of those soldiers in February.

It’s unclear how Cooper will use Kyle‘s story to promote gun control, but anyone who read American Sniper will confirm that Kyle was not in favor of this cause. He was working on a second book about the history of firearms, American Gun, before his death. It is due for release in June.

Filming of American Sniper is set to begin in early 2014.