Fantastic Four star circling Jason Hall’s drama Thank You for Your Service, based on Pulitzer-winner David Finkel’s 2013 book about soldiers with PTSD

Miles Teller is in early talks to take the lead in Thank You for Your Service, American Sniper writer Jason Hall’s directorial debut about US soldiers dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder after being deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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The Hollywood Reporter suggests Teller will play one of three servicemen struggling to cope with their return to civilian life in the drama, which is based on the 2013 non-fiction book by Pulitzer prize-winning Washington Post reporter David Finkel. Hall was named as the director last month following the remarkable success of American Sniper, Clint Eastwood’s biopic of the late US navy seal Chris Kyle, which scored the highest US box office gross of any film released in 2014.

DreamWorks studio may hope to tap into a patriotic fervour on Thank You for Your Service, as American Sniper’s key events also played heavily on the struggles faced by military personnel upon returning from battle zones.

The high-profile gig comes for Teller following the miserable failure of superhero epic Fantastic Four at the global box office earlier this month, taking only $26.2m (£16.8m) in its first weekend. Josh Trank’s film, which the director has alleged suffered heavy studio interference, received derisive reviews from critics and has been hugely unpopular with fans. Teller played the lead role of Reed Richards, AKA Mr Fantastic.