Oscar winner Oliver Stone and longtime producing partner Moritz Borman have sealed a deal for the rights to The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of the World’s Most Wanted Man, written by journalist Luke Harding, The Hollywood Reporter said.

Stone will pen and helm the film, drawing from Harding’s account of events surrounding reports based on NSA leaker Edward Snowden's disclosures in the British newspaper The Guardian. Stone has begun to write the screenplay and Borman is fast-tracking it as a European co-production to start filming before the end of the year.

The book was described by The New York Times as "a fast-paced, almost novelistic narrative that is part bildungsroman and part cinematic thriller."

Stone said: "This is one of the greatest stories of our time. A real challenge. I’m glad to have The Guardian working with us."

Guardian editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger said: "The story of Edward Snowden is truly extraordinary, and the unprecedented revelations he brought to light have forever transformed our understanding of, and relationship with, government and technology. We’re delighted to be working with Oliver Stone and Moritz Borman on the film."

Harding's book was published by Guardian Faber in the U.K.