Steven Spielberg is set to adapt photojournalist Lynsey Addario's memoir starring Jennifer Lawrence.
The Times has confirmed that Steven Spielberg is set to direct Lawrence in a Warner Bros. film based on photojournalist Addario's memoir, titled, "It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War."
The Hollywood Reporter noted that Warner Bros. won a bidding war for the upcoming film starring Lawrence, in a package, that also include producer Andrew Lazar and director Spielberg.
Addario is an American photojournalist whose work often highlights conflicts and human rights issues, particularly the role of women in traditional societies. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Addario has spent time in war zones ranging from Afghanistan to the Congo to Somalia. Addario, who was once kidnapped, is one of the few females in a predominantly male club.
Deadline Hollywood first reported that Warner Bros. was closing a deal to acquire film rights of Addario's book. Apparently, there was no shortage of bidders for the life of a woman who photographed Afghanistan under Taliban control in 2000.
According to DailyMail, other bidders after the memoir included Working Title Films that had Reese Witherspoon attached to the lead role, Darren Aronofsky who sought the movie for Natalie Portman. Reportedly, Margo Robbie was seeking the film too and The Weinstein Company was also bidding with Grant Heslov and George Clooney involved.
Addario describes her experiences documenting the past decade of global war and animosity in places such as Iraq, Sudan, Congo and Afghanistan. She was even held captive for many days by Moammar Kadafi's soldiers in 2011. She explains in her book why a so-called normal person would travel into war zones. She writes that although she chooses to live in peace, she wants to witness war in order to experience the worst in people but to remember the beauty.
Spielberg-Lawrence collaboration would without a doubt pair Hollywood's most admired filmmaker with one of Hollywood's fastest-rising young actresses. However, with films like "American Sniper" and "Robopocalypse," Spielberg has had a few false starts on high-profile films recently. "American Sniper" producer Andrew Lazar is also handling "It's What I Do."
One of Hollywood's most esteemed filmmakers, Spielberg, has gotten back in the game with an untitled Cold War thriller starring Tom Hanks, along with an adaptation of Roald Dahl's "The BFG," starring new comer Ruby Barnhill and Mark Rylance.
Lawrence, on the other hand, is slated to hit the box office with "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2," "Joy" and "X-Men: Apocalypse."
