12 Things You Didn't Know About December's Biggest Movies

3. The Real Chris Kyle Was Murdered During Pre-Production On American Sniper

It was in May 2012 that Warner Bros obtained the rights to American Sniper, the autobiography by Chris Kyle, the most lethal sniper in American military history. Bradley Cooper soon climbed aboard to star as Kyle, while various directors such as David O. Russell and Steven Spielberg circled the project, before Clint Eastwood landed in the director's chair. In February 2013, during the initial search for a director, however, the real-life Kyle was tragically murdered at a shooting range by a friend who had been suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, shooting dead Kyle and another mutual friend before being arrested. This naturally changed the overall tone and course of the movie somewhat, though early reviews have stated that, rather tastefully, the film doesn't make a dramatic plot point out of Kyle's death, instead having it occur off-screen.