Watch First 'American Sniper' Trailer: Bradley Cooper Makes a Deadly Decision

By Rebecca Ford

The first trailer for Clint Eastwood's American Sniper has been released.

Bradley Cooper stars as Chris Kyle, who had the record for the highest number of sniper kills for an American. The film is based on Kyle’s book, American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History, which has been praised for its frankness in telling a first-person account of a warrior who shoots from far and close distances. Kyle was killed in a shooting accident in February 2013 by a fellow veteran.

The Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow movie is a passion project for Cooper, who is producing with Andrew Lazar and Lazar’s company, Mad Chance Productions. Sienna Miller also stars.

The film will be released during the heart of awards season, hitting select theaters on Christmas Day before expanding nationwide Jan. 16.