On May 24 , 2012 , it was announced that Warner Bros. ( WB ) had acquired the rights to the book with Bradley Cooper set to produce and star in the screen adaptation . Cooper had thought of Chris Pratt to play Kyle , but WB agreed to buy it only if Cooper would star . In September 2012 , David O. Russell said he was interested in directing the film . On February 2 , 2013 , Chris Kyle was murdered . On May 2 , 2013 , it was announced that Steven Spielberg would direct . Spielberg had read Kyle 's book , though he desired to have a more psychological conflict present in the screenplay so an " enemy sniper " character could serve as the insurgent sharpshooter who was trying to track down and kill Kyle . Spielberg 's ideas contributed to the development of a lengthy screenplay approaching 160 pages . Due to WB 's budget constraints , Spielberg felt he could not bring his vision of the story to the screen . On August 5 , 2013 , Spielberg dropped out of directing . On August 21 , 2013 , it was reported that Clint Eastwood would instead direct the film
Chris Kyle was murdered
Murders of Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield
American Sniper