Bradley Cooper May Earn Oscar Nod for American Sniper
The first trailer for American Sniper was released last week and the intense minute of footage already has industry insiders talking Oscar buzz for the film’s star and Hamptons regular Bradley Cooper.
Based on The New York Times bestselling memoir by retired Navy Seal Chris Kyle (with Scott McEwan and Jim DeFelice), the film chronicles his rise to becoming the most lethal sniper in U.S. history, and the elite special forces operator’s struggle to balance his family and military life. Just as Kyle was getting his stride in a post-war life, he was killed while trying to help a fellow veteran conquer PTSD in 2013.
Hamptonite Steven Spielberg was originally named as director of American Sniper, but it has since moved to the hands of Academy Award-winning director Clint Eastwood (Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby, Mystic River).
In the film, Kyle is sent to Iraq with only one mission: to protect his brothers-in-arms. His pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and, as stories of his courageous exploits spread, he earns the nicknames “Legend” and, to his enemies who put a price on his head, the “Devil of Ramadi.” However, along with combating insurgents, he also faces a different kind of battle on the home front—striving to be a good husband and father from halfway around the world.
Despite the danger, as well as the toll on his family at home, Kyle served through four brutal tours of duty in Iraq, personifying the spirit of the SEAL creed to “leave no one behind.” But upon returning to his wife Taya Renae Kyle (played by Sienna Miller) and kids, Kyle finds it’s the war he can’t leave behind.
Cooper has already earned Academy Award nominations for his work in Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle, but some are saying American Sniper might be his ticket to Oscar gold—especially with Eastwood at the helm.
Kyle’s autobiography was a runaway bestseller, spending 18 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, 13 of them at number one.
The film is scheduled for release this Christmas, December 25, 2014.
Watch the gripping trailer below!