Based on the memoir by Lynsey Addario, the project was being eyed by a number of Hollywood bigwigs as a starring or production vehicle but Warner finally managed to win the right.
Addario travelled to war-torn countries like Afghanistan, Libya and Iraq and was part of the New York Times team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2009 for International Reporting for her work in Waziristan, reported Variety.
She was jailed for several days in Libya in 2011.
Other bidders for the project included Working Title Films with Reese Witherspoon starring, Darren Aronofsky with Natalie Portman as the lead and The Weinstein Company with George Clooney and Grant Heslov involved and Margot Robbie starring.