Jennifer Lawrence to Play War Photographer in Steven Spielberg-Helmed 'IT'S WHAT I DO'

According to Deadline, Warner Bros. is in final negotiations for a film based on Lynsey Addario's memoir IT'S WHAT I DO: A PHOTOGRAPHER'S LIFE OF LOVE AND WAR. Jennifer Lawrence will star, with Steven Spielberg in the director's chair.

Warner Bros. won the bidding war over Working Title, Darren Aronofsky and The Weinstein Company, and Lawrence edged out Reese Witherspoon, Natalie Portman and Margot Robbie for the leading role.

'IT'S WHAT I DO' centers on Addario, "a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who went to Afghanistan during the post-9/11 invasion of Afghanistan and carved out a niche giving an identity to the victims of conflict. That includes how Afghans suffered during the Taliban regime, the Iraqi War, victims of genocide in Darfur, the rape of women in the Congo. Her work in dangerous locales included her being kidnapped by by pro-Quaddafi forces in the Libyan civil war."

Lawrence rose to fame with her breakout role WINTER'S BONE (2010), for which she received her first Academy Award for Best Actress nomination; at the time, she was the second youngest person to receive a nomination in the category. Her performance in David O. Russell's romantic comedy SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (2012) earned her several awards, including a Golden Globe and an Oscar, making her the second-youngest Best Actress winner at the Academy Awards. For her supporting role in Russell's AMERICAN HUSTLE (2013), she was awarded the Golden Globe Award, the BAFTA Award and received a third Oscar nomination, all for Best Supporting Actress.

The actress is also known for playing Raven Darkhölme / Mystique in the 2011 superhero film X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, a role she reprised in the 2014 film X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST. Beginning in 2012, she gained international fame for playing the leading heroine, 'Katniss Everdeen', in the THE HUNGER GAMES film series.

Among Spielberg's recent directing projects are LINCOLN, WAR HORSE, THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN, INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL and more. He is currently working on ST JAMES PLACE and THE BFG, with an INDIANA JONES reboot starring Chris Pratt also in the mix.

Photo Credit: ABC/Rick Rowell