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Of Course Oliver Stone is Going to Direct an Edward Snowden Film

by Ethan Anderton
June 2, 2014
Source: The Guardian

We just recently heard that Sony Pictures was developing a film about notorious NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden with James Bond franchise producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli behind the project. But because this is Hollywood, there has to be a competing project about the same subject material. The Guardian has word from JFK, Nixon and Platoon director Oliver Stone himself that he's attached to direct an adaptation of The Snowden Files, the book by Luke Harding, who is also a reporter for The Guardian. Already hyping the film, Stone remarked, "This is one of the greatest stories of our time."

Undoubtedly, this is a headline grabbing story all over again, especially after Snowden's recent interview with Brian Williams. It's tough to say which project will be more reputable or probing. Yes, The Guardian was integral in shining a light on what Snowden was trying to expose about the surveillance in place by the United States government, but that was due to the work of Glenn Greenwald, the man behind No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State, which is used as the source material for the other Snowden film.

This just seems all too quick for a story that is still developing. Shouldn't this be the kind of tale that studios wait decades to tell so it can be given proper context with hindsight? No one seemed to care about The Fifth Estate starring Benedict Cumberbatch. That followed a similar story about a modern day whistleblower creating problems for our intrusive government. But maybe a controversial filmmake like Stone will be provocative enough to get people on board. But will Stone have a political agenda on display, or will he tell this story in a neutral light? We'll find out eventually. What do you think?

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