In war, it's not just about outnumbering your enemy, but also out-thinking them. In the latter category, one perfect example is the story of the "Ghost Army" tactic that the United States used while fighting against Nazi forces during World War II. It's a very interesting plot, and one that will now be turned into a movie that has Bradley Cooper on-board to produce.
Deadline has the news about this project, saying that the project will be based on a mix of Rick Beyer's 2013 documentary Ghost Army and Elizabeth Sayles book "The Ghost Army Of World War II: How One Top-Secret Unit Deceived The Enemy with Inflatable Tanks, Sound Effects, And Other Audacious Fakery." Earth To Echo screenwriter Henry Gayden has been hired to pen the screenplay, and while Cooper is only serving as a producer for now, there is hope that he will also wind up taking the lead role in the story. Joining the Guardians of the Galaxy star supporting the film will be his Hangover director Todd Phillips, as well as American Sniper producer Andrew Lazar.
The film will tell the true story of how the United States Army worked to try and convince Adolf Hitler and the Nazis that the American forces were a lot bigger than they actually were. To accomplish this mission, the military recruited a squadron of individuals from various creative fields, including those in advertising and art school.The idea was to make the Germans think that the U.S. had troops in areas that were actually empty. This squad was able to get the job done - and this is where things get super weird - with the use of inflatable tanks, dummy soldiers, and fake radio messages. As Deadline notes, there is currently an effort being made to get this squad a Congressional Gold Medal, as their work is credited with saving "tens of thousands of lives."
It's not incredibly hard to see why this project might be attractive to a movie studio: in the right hands, it sounds like it could be something akin to Ben Affleck's Argo set in the 1940s. The risk that the films runs is comparisons between it and George Clooney's Monuments Men - which wound up not getting the most celebrated of theatrical releases. Of course, it will only take some smart moves and creative casting to prevent that from happening.
Successful as Bradley Cooper has been as an actor, the same can really be said for his work as a producer. The first movie he got behind was 2011's Limitless, and that was the first in a string of hits that also includes 2012's Silver Linings Playbook, 2013's American Hustle, and the aforementioned American Sniper. In addition to Ghost Army, his upcoming slate as a producer includes the Limitless television series as well as the ridiculous true story comedy Arms and the Dudes - which is being directed by Todd Phillips.
Ghost Army is obviously now in the early stages of development, but we'll keep you updated as it moves through its production phases.
