Steven Spielberg's next film will be another portrait of a real life person, this time though he's downsizing and American Sniper will be based on the autobiography of the Navy SEAL member Chris Kyle, the man who was recently shot and killed at a gun range by another ex-soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress.

The film will look at the life of the man who went from being a cowboy in a rodeo to a SEAL Chief and gaining the highest number of recorded kills in the history of the U.S. military, and Bradley Cooper is set to play him.

It's interesting to think what direction this film will take and what it can say as it could easily discuss the downside of guns considering the way that he died, but there's also an incredible story to be told about how he became who he was. There's also an opportunity to look at what it takes to be a sniper, what it takes to kill someone, as well as just telling the story of a man who fought for his country.

There are so many directions it could go but knowing Steven Spielberg's work you have to be thinking that this isn't going to be a simple, linear story of the man's life.

According to the story in Deadline it was Bradley Cooper who optioned the rights to the book American Sniper: The Autobiography Of The Most Lethal Sniper In U.S. Military History ( / ) through his own production company and so it's a big win to see Spielberg taking it on and getting the lead.

Another epic film from Spielberg? Undoubtedly, but what else will it tell us?