Joseph Gordon-Levitt set to star as Edward Snowden in Oliver Stone film

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt is to play Edward Snowden in a new film about the whistleblower.

The actor is reported to have been offered the lead role in The Snowden Files, according to Variety.

The film, to be written and directed by Oliver Stone, is based on the book Time of The Octopus by Snowden’s lawyer, which is considered to be the closest thing to a documented account of the events since Snowden first released classified documents last year.

The American computer professional rose to fame after leaking classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in June 2013.

Snowden has since been on the run from the US government and now lives in an undisclosed location in Russia.

Production on the film is likely to begin at the end of the year or in the first quarter of 2015, if the deal with Gordon-Levitt is made.

The actor, who is better known for action and comedy films, recently appeared in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For and is currently filming an untitled holiday movie with Seth Rogen.

He has also starred in Inception, 500 Days of Summer, 10 Things I Hate About You and The Dark Knight Rises.