Clint Eastwood is counted among the greatest icons that Hollywood has produced. He is not only a talented actor but also an award-winning director. His greatest success came with a film for which he was originally the second choice.
Which film is it about? Clint Eastwood directed American Sniper. The film is based on the memoirs of Chris Kyle, the deadliest American sniper with over 160 confirmed kills. He earned the title “Al-Shaitan,” which translates to “the devil.”
- The film begins during the Iraq War. We see Chris Kyle shooting a boy who was attempting to kill American soldiers with a grenade. His mother is also shot by the sniper.
- Kyle experienced a strict upbringing in his childhood. His father beat him and raised him to defend himself with violence.
- He experienced a total of four extended deployments in Iraq. His social life suffered as he only integrated superficially. This made his relationship with his wife increasingly difficult.
- There was an intense shootout with an Al-Qaeda terrorist. Kyle was able to come out on top.
- He could never return to normal life. Ultimately, he was shot by another veteran at a shooting range.
The screenplay for the film landed with several directors. Ultimately, it was Clint Eastwood who was able to impose his vision of the film. Although he was only the second choice, it became his greatest success (via Collider).
One of Eastwood’s best Western films is Unforgiven:
American Sniper became the biggest hit for Clint Eastwood
Why was Eastwood only the second choice? Originally, screenwriter Jason Hall wanted to impress with the story. He had formed a close bond with the real Chris Kyle. But America was not ready in 2013 to implement his vision of the film.
After Kyle’s death, director Steven Spielberg took up the screenplay. He made some changes to the script and wanted to focus more on the personality of the Al-Qaeda terrorist. He was supposed to be a sort of mirror to Kyle, which made the screenplay move in a more psychological direction. As a result, the page count of the screenplay increased,
However, Spielberg did not get the budget he wanted. His ideas were too expensive, which is why he dropped out of the project. Only then did Eastwood take the reins and cut some content to fit within the budget. Spielberg’s original idea of incorporating the antagonist more significantly remained intact.
How successful was he with that? American Sniper became Clint Eastwood’s biggest success. According to Box Office Mojo, the film earned over 547 million USD at the box office. This makes the film even more successful than Gran Torino, Sully, and Million Dollar Baby. Eastwood was therefore lucky that Spielberg dropped out of the project.
With the film, Clint Eastwood proved that he rightly holds the status of a great Hollywood icon. He has made several right decisions in his life. One of those decisions was to decline his role in a major masterpiece: Legendary actor refused to play in a masterpiece, which turned out to be the right decision
