Open Road Films Takes US Rights To Oliver Stone/Edward Snowden Film Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Open Road Films and Endgame Entertainment are partnering for the U.S. release of The Untitled Oliver Stone/Edward Snowden Project starring Joseph Gordon Levitt, written and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Oliver Stone. The script is based on the books The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of the World’s Most Wanted Man by Luke Harding and Time of the Octopus by Anatoly Kucherena. The announcement was made today by Tom Ortenberg, CEO of Open Road Films and James D. Stern, CEO of Endgame Entertainment.

The Untitled Oliver Stone/Edward Snowden Project is being produced by Moritz Borman and Eric Kopeloff and is scheduled to start production in Munich in January 2015. Pathe, which developed the project with Borman, has retained distribution rights in France and Benelux. Wild Bunch is handling international sales in all other territories.

“After working with Oliver on ‘W’ I am thrilled to be back in business with him, along with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the filmmmaking team and Endgame Entertainment, on this exciting project,” stated Ortenberg.

Stern stated: “I’ve long been an admirer of Oliver Stone and this continues our determination to work with great directors. I’m also delighted to renew our collaboration with Open Road and look forward to participating in this important film.”

Borman added: “Oliver and I were overwhelmed by the reaction to the screenplay from all quarters but, in the end, the enthusiasm from Tom & Jim and the distribution case they made, convinced us that the film would be in the perfect hands. This film needs an independent in the true sense, where political pressures will not come into play.”

The deal was negotiated on behalf of Open Road Films by Ortenberg, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, Elliott Kleinberg, and Executive Vice President of Production & Acquisitions, Peter Lawson — and by Moritz Borman and Creative Artists Agency.