--- title: Bradley Cooper Developing HBO Miniseries on Rise of ISIS description: The miniseries is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning nonfiction book Black Flags: The Rise Of ISIS canonical: https://time.com/4441098/bradley-cooper-hbo-miniseries-isis/ author: Mahita Gajanan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-08-05T17:01:35.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:55:17.017Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Bradley Cooper Is Developing an HBO Miniseries About the Rise of ISIS og:description: The miniseries is based on the book 'Black Flags: The Rise Of ISIS' og:url: https://time.com/4441098/bradley-cooper-hbo-miniseries-isis/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt928e2b1e0396bb87/6988a15d0a4a22034f9cad32/bradley-cooper-hbo-isis-miniseries.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: 19th Shanghai International Film Festival - Opening Ceremony & Red Carpet og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Bradley Cooper Is Developing an HBO Miniseries About the Rise of ISIS twitter:description: The miniseries is based on the book 'Black Flags: The Rise Of ISIS' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt928e2b1e0396bb87/6988a15d0a4a22034f9cad32/bradley-cooper-hbo-isis-miniseries.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Bradley Cooper to Develop HBO Miniseries About the Rise of ISIS > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: Bradley Cooper on the Films that Shaped His Childhood [Watch (HLS stream): Bradley Cooper on the Films that Shaped His Childhood](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/sxLupXWQ.m3u8) (2:20)  _Published 2015-04-16. “Ultimately you want to tell a story so that it can help heal and make people feel that they’re not alone,” says Cooper, who has been nominated for an Oscar three times._ by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Aug 5, 2016 5:01 PM UTC  Bradley Cooper walks the red carpet of the 19th Shanghai International Film Festival at Shanghai Grand Theatre on June 11, 2016 in Shanghai, China. Bradley Cooper walks the red carpet of the 19th Shanghai International Film Festival at Shanghai Grand Theatre on June 11, 2016 in Shanghai, China. Visual China—Getty Images by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Aug 5, 2016 5:01 PM UTC [Bradley Cooper](http://time.com/4437252/bradley-cooper-dnc-american-sniper/) is developing a miniseries about the rise of ISIS for HBO. The four-time Academy Award nominee will executive produce the miniseries, called _Black Flags_. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning nonfiction book _Black Flags: The Rise Of ISIS_ by Washington _Post_ reporter Joby Warrick, the miniseries chronicles the rise of ISIS from its beginnings in Jordan to its gains in Syria. Warrick’s book explores how the Iraq War contributed to the growth of ISIS, told through interviews with terrorists, politicians and intelligence agents. After reading the book, Cooper thought it would make a good limited TV series. He and producing partner Todd Phillips collaborated with Warrick on the project, [_Deadline_](http://deadline.com/2016/08/bradley-cooper-black-flags-isis-miniseries-hbo-todd-phillips-1201798580/) reported. Cooper and Phillips, partners under the production company Joint Effort, will release their company’s first movie, [_War Dogs_](http://time.com/4437000/shia-labeouf-james-corden-war-dogs/), which centers on two men who arm U.S. allies in Afghanistan, on Aug. 19. HBO has not announced a release date for the miniseries. \[[_Deadline_](http://deadline.com/2016/08/bradley-cooper-black-flags-isis-miniseries-hbo-todd-phillips-1201798580/)\] ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] It's sur, a surreal thing to be included in the, an, anything that has to do with Time Magazine let alone the, the 100 list. So it's it's a huge privilege for me. And that if it does anything at all it helps spread awareness for veterans. Issues. Cuz that's obviously, I think, what it has to do with it is American Sniper and the impact that it's had. American Sniper, it felt like an experience of a lifetime for me, personally, just as an actor, as a storyteller. And I had no idea the impact that the movie would have. And you know, I just see this as a huge opportunity for me to, to have another, I'd say, weapon or tool in my toolbox to be able to go. Around and, and, and spread the word of, necessity for our country to deal with veteran issues. The terrible [ MUSIC ] Elephant [ MUSIC ] Mad. When I was a kid, Comcast came through our neighborhood. And we got these little boxes on TVs. And then they would just show movies like almost in a loop. And there were about four movies. They showed Raging Bull, The Elephant Man, Popeye, and like something else. I watched The Elephant Man like ten times when I was 12 years old. And I was always a huge fan of movies and my father was a big cinephile. I lived next door to a movie theater that was literally my back yard with train tracks and then a movie theater. By the time I saw Elephant Man, there was the crystallizing moment for me. And just the way that that, that, that was shot, and the way he acted and the music, Adagio for Strings, and the carnie music and the black and white and the gas lamps. Everything just sort of created a world that was so infectious for me. And I thought, I, I wanna be a part of this storytelling and then, yeah, lo and behold, I, I, I just finished it. We just did it on Broadway. Crazy. 15 years later. Ultimately, you wanna tell a story so that it can help heal and make people feel like they're not alone. That's what movies did for me when I was a kid. So the fact that American Sniper has done this for vets in some way, if it has at all is incredible for me personally. [ MUSIC ] All I hope to do is be as truthful to myself as possible for the next however long I get a chance to do this. 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