Steven Spielberg Will Not Direct AMERICAN SNIPER; Bradley Cooper Still Attached

Steven Spielberg has officially dropped out of directing AMERICAN SNIPER, the film adaptation of Chris Kyle's autobiography, detailing his time as a Navy SEAL sniper, which was to star Bradley Cooper.

Deadline confirmed the acclaimed director's departure this afternoon, citing that "Spielberg couldn't square his vision of this movie with the budget." DreamWorks will also exit the project.

Cooper is reportedly still attached to play Kyle in the film, penned by Jason Hall, while also producing for Warner Bros. The WB can now attempt to secure a new director as well as a new company.

The news comes just a few months after Spielberg put the breaks on directing the film adaptation of Daniel H. Wilson's ROBOPOCALYPSE. He still plans to bring the project to the big screen, but wanted to allow time to rework and edit the script before taking it on.

For Deadline's original announcement, click here.

Spielberg is one of the entertainment industry's most successful and influential filmmakers and a principal partner of Dreamworks Studios. He is the top-grossing director of all time, having helmed such blockbusters as JAWS, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, the Indiana Jones franchise and Jurassic Park, earning billions at the box office. He is a three-time Academy Award winner, having won his first two for Best Director and Best Picture for Schindler's List, which received a total of seven Oscars that year. He won his third Oscar for Best Director for the WWII epic drama Saving Private Ryan. It was also one of the year's most honored films, earning four additional Oscars, as well as two Golden Globes for Best Picture and Best Director. He also earned Academy Award nominations for Best Director for Munich, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Throughout his career he has also earned a staggering eleven DGA Award nominations, making him the most honored member of the DGA. Last year he successfully took on the challenge of working in 3D animation with The Adventures of Tintin, which won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature.

Photo by Walter McBride

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