Report: Bradley Cooper to help tell story of World War II ‘Ghost Army’

Bradley Cooper, here attending a Washington, D.C., screening of “American Sniper” in January, will develop a World War II unit’s unique story for the big screen. (Getty Images Entertainment photo by Larry French)

Bradley Cooper played SEAL legend Chris Kyle in “American Sniper,” which drew critical acclaim and set box-office records.

Then, he played a military contractor in “Aloha,” which didn’t.

An upcoming military project could put Cooper back into uniform, only this time as a member of a real-life Army unit that aided the Allied push to Berlin at the close of World War II using deception that would make a Hollywood special-effects wizard blush.

Deadline.com reported Monday that Cooper’s production company will team with Andrew Lazar, an “American Sniper” producer, to tell the story of 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, better known as “The Ghost Army.” By deploying everything from inflatable tanks to massive speakers blaring construction noises to fake radio traffic, soldiers with this unit baffled Nazi planners from D-Day to the Battle of the Bulge and beyond. Recruited from art schools and advertising agencies, the men would establish phantom units designed to represent thousands of troops and tons of heavy equipment, sometimes coming within hundreds of yards of enemy forces.

Here’s more straight from the book that’ll serve as the basis for Cooper’s project:

And here’s even more from a 2013 PBS documentary:

It’s not clear whether Cooper will star in the film, Deadline reported, though the inclusion of an A-lister could be good news for a bill in Congress that would award the unit a Congressional Gold Medal.

Learn more about the unit and the new book here.