Sony Pictures Entertainment has optioned the film rights to the book “No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State” with the James Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli of EON Productions producing the pic.
Based on the book by Glenn Greenwald, whose reporting on the secrets contained in Snowden’s top-secret NSA documents won him the Pulitzer Prize for The Guardian newspaper, the story chronicles one of the biggest leaks in NSA history.
The book examines the journalist’s personal involvement in working with Snowden to break numerous stories about the U.S. government’s intelligence gathering operations, making it both a personal narrative of the events as they unfolded and an important historical reflection on the broader implications of the NSA’s activities.
“Edward Snowden’s explosive revelations have raised important questions about the role of government in protecting its citizens and the balance between national security and personal freedom,” said Columbia Pictures prexy Doug Belgrad. “We are extremely proud that Michael, Barbara and Glenn chose Sony to bring this riveting story to the big screen, and believe that Glenn’s account of this incredible international event will make for a gripping and unforgettable film.”
The book, which was released worldwide on Tuesday and translated into more than 20 languages, was published in the U.S. by Metropolitan Books, an imprint of Henry Holt & Company.
Overseeing for the studio is Elizabeth Cantillon, Columbia Pictures’ executive vice president of production. The deal was brokered by Lucy Stille at Paradigm and Dan Conaway at Writers House.
There is plenty of room to disagree about Mr. Snowden’s actions but it is worthy of a film adaptation and if done properly,a lot of folks will want to see it not just because of the National Security data breeches but because Mr. Snowden believed in his risk taking not for personal profit. This does mean he is heroic or a traitor necessarily,either. But,we live with a history of spying and this could be one of the better tales of just what our Government with a lot of technological help has been doing for a long time even before 2001.
He’s a traitor and should consider changing his name to Benedict Arnold. He will never come back to the U.S. because he will be put on trial and jailed forever
When they start looking for the actor to play Snowden just put glasses on Robert Pattinson, every time I see Snowden I see him. Right age, build and coloring.