Academy Award-winning director Steven Spielberg has decided he won't be the one to helm the upcoming biopic of Chris Kyle, based on Kyle's bestselling memoir American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History.
Spielberg's production company, DreamWorks, is also no longer attached to the movie, according to Variety.
As for why Spielberg has left the project, The Hollywood Reporter surmises:
A source confirmed that Spielberg's vision for the film did not align with Warner Bros.' planned budget.
Actor Bradley Cooper, who owns the rights to the book, is still slated to star as the fallen former Navy SEAL.
Kyle, 38, was shot to death alongside Chad Littlefield at the Rough Creek Lodge and Resort shooting range in Texas last February.
Marine veteran Eddie Ray Routh has been charged with their murders. Kyle was reportedly attempting to help Routh with his post-traumatic stress disorder when he was shot and killed.
