Bradley Cooper's 'American Sniper' project has found a director, and it's a very prestigious one: Steven Spielberg will helm the flick in which Cooper plays Navy SEAL Chris Kyle.

Back in February it was announced that Cooper had signed on to produce and star in 'American Sniper,' aiming to fast track the project into production, but first he'd need a director. THR reports that Cooper has found one, as Steven Spielberg will direct the film, based on the autobiography 'American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in US Military History' by Chris Kyle.

In the book, Kyle tells the story of how he went from a champion saddle-bronc rider in Texas to becoming the Navy SEAL with the most sniper kills in US history. Kyle earned the moniker "the devil" among his enemies, but the core of the story is his emotional journey and the effect his career and the war had on his own family.

Cooper had been interested in playing Kyle in a big-screen adaptation of his story, but fast-tracked the project when Kyle was tragically shot and killed on a gun range in Texas. With the gun control debate at the forefront of US politics, now is the time to tell Kyle's story -- a patriot whose job it was to use guns to kill enemies in combat, and how the very object he used to serve his nation became the weapon that took his life.

We can't think of a better director than Spielberg to tackle what will surely be a highly engaging and emotional journey.

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