Edward Snowden's career has been a fascinating one, evidenced by the worldwide notoriety and questions raised after he leaked classified information from the National Security Agency back in 2013. The time is ripe for a cinematic look on the man and the public is willing to dive in head-first, especially considering that the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature went to the Snowden film, CITIZENFOUR. Naturally, Oliver Stone (SAVAGES, JFK) seems like the perfect candidtate to tackle this subject matter and what we have here is the first picture of Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing the titular character.
It's been a while since Oliver Stone produced a film I could get excited about. When you look at his early career, it felt like the man had a fire under his ass. His films had an edge to them, and a message that felt important. The cast of SNOWDEN feels pitch-perfect, including Shailene Woodley, who plays Snowden's girlfriend, as well as Tom Wilkinson, Nicolas Cage, Timothy Olyphant, Zachary Quinto, and Rhys Ifans, to name a few. The film is currently shooting in Munich and being groomed for a Christmas release. I'm hoping by that time, Stone will have a film to deliver that'll stand toe-to-toe with his great works. The subject matter is definitely there.
SNOWDEN his theaters on December 25, 2015.