Legendary director Steven Spielberg has his next movie lined up, American Sniper. The movie will be based on the autobiography of the the deadliest sniper the U.S. military has ever had, Chris Kyle, which is titled American Sniper: The Autobiography Of The Most Lethal Sniper In U.S. Military History.

Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper was the one who optioned the book, and is also set to star. Cooper set the project up with Warner Brothers, who will team with DreamWorks to make the movie. Jason Hall (Paranoia) penned the script.

Kyle started learning to shoot at eight years of age, and had a stint as a rodeo bronco rider before retiring due to an arm injury and enlisting in the military, eventually becoming a member of Navy SEAL Team 3. During his time as a sniper he claimed to have 255 kills (160 of which were confirmed), and was awarded many medals for his service. He gained a reputation with Iraqi insurgents, who gave him the nickname “The Devil of Ramadi” and put bounties of $20,000 and $80,000 on his head. He was shot

After he was honorably discharged in 2009, Kyle ran Craft International, who offered training for military, law enforcement, and civilians, as well as security. He also appeared on the recent reality series Stars Earn Stripes, where he was teamed with Dean Cain.

In February of this year, Kyle and a fellow veteran, Chad Littlefield, went to a shooting range in Texas where they were shot and killed by a 25-year-old fellow veteran, whom they may have brought to the gun range in hopes of helping him with post traumatic stress disorder.

[Source: Deadline]