Bradley Cooper Just Threw His Hat Into The Oscar Ring

As Hollywood continues to roll out its prestige pics at a blistering rate, we're reminded that it's officially Oscar season. Earlier this week, the hunt for best actor looked like a two-horse race, between The Imitation Game's Benedict Cumberbatch and The Theory of Everything's Eddie Redmayne. But, before we start engraving the trophy, a couple of good ol' American boys might have something to say about it. Matthew McConaughey should factor into the discussion when Interstellar hits theaters next month, while Bradley Cooper will look for his third nod with American Sniper.

Cooper plays Chris Kyle, a real-life Navy SEAL who was billed as the deadliest sniper in U.S. history. Over the course of a 10-year career, Kyle was responsible for dozens of enemy deaths, which led to Iraqi militants to put a bounty on his head. Based on the riveting first trailer, it looks like the film will bounce back and forth between Kyle's life in the field of duty and his life back home, where his wife (Sienna Miller) and child start to feel the strain of his extreme circumstances.

And, if a war-driven character study about a real-life American hero isn't Oscar-baity enough, American Sniper was directed by Oscar magnet, Clint Eastwood. See you on the carpet, fellas.

American Sniper opens on Christmas day. Watch the trailer below.