Bradley Cooper has his pick of projects right now. Proving himself to be more than just a pretty face in recent years, the actor has turned into a bonafide leading man, showing us that he can bring in both money at the box office and praise from critics. After an excellent turn in David O. Russell’s American Hustle last year, Cooper is taking a bit of a break from the dramatic side of film and will next appear in Marvel’s more light-hearted and humor-filled intergalactic adventure Guardians of the Galaxy. After that, however, he’ll be going back to something more serious as he’s now in talks for American Blood, based on Ben Sanders’ forthcoming novel of the same name.
Warner Bros. purchased the rights to the novel after being impressed with Sanders’ 50-page proposal and they’ve set Andrew Sodroski (Holland, Michigan) to pen the script. The story will follow Cooper’s Marshall Grade “an NYPD officer-turned-mob-informant, who, while living in the witness protection program in New Mexico, is pulled into a dangerous investigation involving a missing woman.”
Should all go as planned, American Blood will mark Cooper’s third “American” film, after American Hustle and the upcoming American Sniper. While there is certainly no link or running theme between the projects, they do all have one thing in common, and that is that they feature/will feature the actor in a dramatic role, which is where I think his talents are best applied.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved Cooper in The Hangover trilogy, but his recent turns in films like Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle have truly been excellent. While I’m excited to see him take a step back and do something more fun and light in Guardians of the Galaxy, I’m also very pleased to hear that he’s looking to continue taking on heavier roles that will hopefully one day result in an Oscar.
Tell us, what do you think of American Blood? Are you looking forward to seeing Bradley Cooper in another serious role, or would you prefer to see him stick to lighter material?
