It would appear that the domain of rival movies isn't just limited to fairy tale blockbusters like "Mirror Mirror" and "Snow White White And The Huntsman." One of the most compelling moments in recent American history — the killing of Osama Bin Laden — is already taking a couple of different routes to the big screen. There is of course Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty" which hits in December and has already drawn some minor controversy with political types accusing the Obama government of sharing classfied intel with the production. There's also the comparably low rent "Code Name Geronimo" starring Cam Gigandet, Xzibit and Eddie Kaye Thomas that The Weinstein Company picked up back at Cannes. And now it seems Steven Spielberg is kicking the tires on his own Bin Laden flick.
The NYPost reports that the helmer is in talks to bring "No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama bin Laden" to the big screen. Penned by Mark Owen, a pseudonym of SEAL Matt Bissonette, the book is an account of the attack on the Bin Laden compound written from the perspective of one of the twenty-four Navy SEALs that was on the mission. And that fact alone has already caused some problems. Details and personnel on the mission have been kept classified in the interest of national security, and special operations chief Adm. Bill McRaven has said he could face charges for putting info on the operation out there.
At any rate, it's undoubtedly the kind of story that captivate audiences and offer a different perspective than Bigelow's flim which seems to be a more wide reaching overview of the various players and departments involved. Bissonnette has apparently met with HBO and DreamWorks, with Spielberg involved in the latter conversations, which those plans seeming to be the most promising at the moment.
But as always, nothing is certain. It's not clear if Spielberg would direct or produce, and dude generally has a multitude of options at any one time. Moreover, his next film is "Robopocalypse" which isn't due in theaters until 2014, so even if he were to direct, it's a long way off just yet. Still, it's an intriguing possibility and considering the helmer likes to switch up popcorn fare with dramas, it could present a tantalizing prospect.
