NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has a new face. Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt will play the role of Snowden in director Oliver Stone's upcoming film on the matter according to the film's backers as reported by Reuters.
Stone initially reached out to the actor over a month ago to offer him the role. Sources at the time said Gordon-Levitt agreed to play the part although negotiations hadn't yet begun.
The screenplay for the film was written based on two books - The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of the World's Most Wanted Man by Luke Harding and Time of the Octopus written by Anatoly Kucherena.
The as-yet-named film is set to go into production in January in Munich according to Open Road Films and production and financing company Endgame Entertainment. Producer Moritz Borman said he and Stone picked the two companies because the film needs an independent in the true sense where political pressures will not come into play.
Snowden took the world by storm when he revealed a wide-reaching Internet surveillance program ran by the NSA in June of last year. He's since leaked thousands of classified documents to the media which pushed privacy to the forefront of public discussion.
33-year-old Gordon-Levitt most recently appeared in Don Jon, a film in which he also directed. He's also been in several other top-notch flicks including The Dark Knight Rises, Inception and Lincoln.