12 Movies That Were Almost Directed By Steven Spielberg
1. American Sniper
The project in a nutshell: A biopic of Chris Kyle, US Navy SEAL and sniper with the highest kill count in US military history. The film went into development as an adaptation of Kyle's autobiography, prior to his murder in 2013.
When was Spielberg attached: David O Russell expressed interest in the project early on, which already had Bradley Cooper attached to star and produce. However, Spielberg signed on to direct in May 2013; mere months after Kyle's death.
Who ended up directing it: Clint Eastwood. The film was released Christmas Day 2014, and it became the director's biggest box office hit ever. It also received several Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor for Cooper and Best Adapted Screenplay for Jason Hall.
What happened: Reportedly, Spielberg walked away over budget concerns, feeling the $60 million that Warner Bros had allotted to the film was not enough to realise his vision. He went on to make Bridge of Spies and The BFG back-to-back instead.
Around the same time, Bradley Cooper was rumoured to be a contender to take the lead in a rebooted Indiana Jones; but that doesn't look likely to happen, as Spielberg and Harrison Ford are reportedly poised to start work on a fifth Indy movie soon.