Director Oliver Stone has signed on to make yet another controversial biopic, with his new project centering on the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.

The movie will focus on Edward Snowden's experiences as a contractor for the CIA, who leaked thousands of classified documents to Glenn Greenwald, a former columnist for the U.K. publication The Guardian, back in June 2013. The documents shed new light on the massive government surveillance techniques used on the American people under Barack Obama's administration. Edward Snowden has been granted temporary asylum in Russia, although if he ever returns to the United States, he faces a 30-year prison sentence.

The project will be adapted from The Guardian journalist Luke Harding's book The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of the World's Most Wanted Man, which was published in February. The book charts Snowden's political awakening, who found his libertarian views at odds with the government's surveillance program.

Here's what director Oliver Stone had to say about the project in a statement.

"This is one of the greatest stories of our time. A real challenge. I'm glad to have the Guardian working with us."

Oliver Stone is also producing with Moritz Borman, with production scheduled to begin at the end of 2014. The project will be a European co-production, with Harding and other journalists from The Guardian serving as story consultants. Both The Guardian and the Washington Post won Pulitzer Prizes for their coverage of the Edward Snowden story.

Here's what Alan Rusbridger, the Guardian's editor-in-chief, had to say in his statement.

"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."

The project will be competing with another Edward Snowden movie, based on Glenn Greenwald's book No Place to Hide. We reported last month that Sony Pictures optioned the rights to the book, with Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson (Skyfall) attached to produce.