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Producers of the James Bond franchise are making a movie about Edward Snowden

Snowden. Edward Snowden. 

 

Gavia Baker-Whitelaw

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Posted on May 14, 2014   Updated on May 31, 2021, 7:41 am CDT

We knew it was coming, but we didn’t realise it would be so soon. The Edward Snowden story is going to receive its very own Hollywood adaptation.

Variety reported on Wednesday that the film rights to Glenn Greenwald’s book No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State have been sold to Sony, to be produced by none other than the producers of the James Bond franchise.

The book follows Greenwald’s reporting on the NSA leaks, and includes several scenes that could easily make for interesting movie material, including the clandestine first meeting between Greenwald and Snowden. It only came out on Tuesday so obviously there are no details yet on what kind of movie No Place To Hide might inspire, but the involvement of the James Bond producers hints at a rather Hollywoodized interpretation.

At any rate, here’s hoping that any potential Snowden movie will turn out better than Wikileaks movie The Fifth Estate, which received negative reviews before sinking without trace. Plus, considering the number of real-life spies they could include in a movie about wiretapping and an NSA whistleblower fleeing to Russia, Greenwald’s book might actually make for a decent espionage thriller.

Screencap via JamesBondSuits

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*First Published: May 14, 2014, 6:30 pm CDT