After some fits and starts, Warner Bros.' American Sniper has been steadily gaining momentum. The movie, which stars Bradley Cooper as the late Chris Kyle, the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history, is set to begin filming next month and just added its lead actress.

According to The Wrap, Sienna Miller has joined the cast as Kyle's wife. Miller beat out strong competition for the part, including Jaimie Alexander (Sif in Marvel's Thor films). The Wrap notes that Kate Mara was also an early candidate for the role, but dropped out of consideration when she was cast in Fox's reboot of Fantastic Four.

If Miller's casting sticks, it will be the latest in a string of high-profile projects for the British actress. She's set to appear alongside Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, and Channing Tatum in Bennett Miller's new drama Foxcatcher. Miller is also scheduled to star in Vince Vaughn’s upcoming comedy Business or Pleasure.

Bradley Cooper first picked up the rights to American Sniper back in 2012. At the time, there was talk that Cooper might re-team with director David O. Russell (American Hustle) for the film, but that never panned out. Eventually, Steven Spielberg jumped on the project, though he dropped out several months later over budget issues.

Clint Eastwood may direct American Sniper

Fortunately, since Clint Eastwood took over director duties on the project last summer, the project has been moving forward. Given his background as director of multiple critically-acclaimed war movies, including Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima, Eastwood is a great fit to tell Kyle's amazing story. (The fact that he consistently gets his movies done on time and under budget doesn't hurt either.

During his time as a Navy SEAL sniper in Iraq, Kyle racked up 160 confirmed and 255 claimed kills, earning the nickname 'The Devil of Ramadi' from insurgents. Though he survived multiple injuries during his service, Kyle's life ended violently last year when he was killed at a gun range in Texas by a fellow ex-Marine, who was suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

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As mentioned above, American Sniper begins filming next month. The film doesn't yet have a release date, but we will have more information as it moves into production.

Source: The Wrap