Steven Spielberg Exits 'American Sniper'

It was expected that Steven Spielberg would follow up Lincoln with the sci-fi adaptation, Robopocalypse, a potential blockbuster that he had been developing for quite some time. Instead he put it on the shelf and chose instead to direct American Sniper, based on a book Bradley Cooper picked up the rights to with plans of starring. The film seemed to be moving fast with red hot writer Jason Dean Hall penning the script, but now it's basically starting over as Spielberg has dropped out.

Deadline reports that not only has Spielberg exited the project, but he's taking Dreamworks with him. The plan had been for it to be a co-production between Dreamworks and Warner Bros., but now another backer will have to be sought. Creative conflicts are said to be the cause for Spielberg's departure, as he was unable to square his vision with the budget. Based on the autobiography by late Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, the story follows his 10-year career as the greatest sniper in military history, with Iraqi insurgents placing a sizable bounty on his head. Cooper is producing and will play Kyle, although it's unknown if the script will include the soldier's death earlier this year.

The search for a new director is on, and it wouldn't be surprising if Cooper gave his buddy David O. Russell first crack at it.