Given the working title of Hack Attack, the motion picture will be based on the book of the same name by Guardian journalist Nick Davies about the 2011 scandal that closed Rupert Murdoch’s UK tabloid after 168 years in print.
“This has all the elements – lying, corruption, blackmail – at the highest levels of government by the biggest newspaper in London,” Clooney said, in a statement released by Sony Pictures.
“And the fact that it’s true is the best part. Nick is a brave and stubborn reporter and we consider it an honor to put his book to film,” he added.
NoTW was Britain’s biggest selling paper but was shut down after it emerged that employee’s had illegally accessed voicemails to gather information.
During the phone hacking trail – one of the most expensive trials in British history – it became clear that celebrities, including Daniel Craig and Jude Law and the British royal family were all prime targets of phone hacking by NoTW journalists.
“As the son of a journalist, George has a sharp interest in the role journalism plays in all of our lives,” Michael De Luca of Columbia Pictures said in a statement.
“With Hack Attack, George will explore the dark side of that world, a business where all of the rules of journalism are broken in the race for an easy and ever-larger payday,” he added.
It is believed Clooney will also serve as co-producer on Hack Attack, alongside Grant Heslov with whom he has worked on several previous projects.
Shooting will commence next year and no release date has been given.
