The former Navy SEAL who has written his eyewitness account of the slaying of Osama bin Laden is in talks with Steven Spielberg to turn the book into an action movie, Page Six can exclusively reveal.
The author, who uses the pseudonym Mark Owen, was “one of the first men through the door on the third floor” of bin Laden’s lair in Pakistan and was there when he died, according to publisher Dutton.
The book — “No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama bin Laden — will be released on Sept. 11.
Following the book announcement, Fox News revealed that Mark Owen is 36-year-old recently retired SEAL Matt Bissonnette. Then special operations chief Adm. Bill McRaven said Bissonnette could face prosecution for revealing sensitive and classified information that could cause US forces harm.
Meanwhile, multiple sources tell us Bissonnette has already been in talks with DreamWorks about turning his book into a movie.
One source said, “He met with HBO’s Richard Plepler, and he also met with Spielberg.”
Another source added, “He is still talking to DreamWorks and Spielberg,” who declined to comment.
A “No Easy Day” movie would add to an already busy field of bin Laden films. “Hurt Locker” director Kathryn Bigelow is working on “Zero Dark Thirty,” about the decade-long hunt for terrorist leader bin Laden, leading to his death in May 2011. The cast includes Scott Adkins, Joel Edgerton, Jessica Chastain and Taylor Kinney, with release set for Dec. 19
Meanwhile, the Weinstein Company has secured the US rights to “Code Name Geronimo,” the John Stockwell-directed drama about the manhunt for the 9/11 terror-attack mastermind.
According to reports, Weinstein will put the film in theaters in early fall, a move that would beat “Zero Dark Thirty” — which was delayed after Sony decided not to put it out ahead of the presidential election.