Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone will be adapting the story of former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden for the big screen, from a book written by Guardian journalist Luke Harding, the British newspaper said in a statement on Monday.

Stone, 67, with his production partner Moritz Borman, bought the film rights to Harding's The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of the World's Most Wanted Man, that delved into the events surrounding Snowden leaking numerous top-secret NSA surveillance programs to media.

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

The filmmaker, who has won Oscars for directing 1986's Platoon and 1989's Born on the Fourth of July, will write and direct the film and also include materials from the Guardian journalists who broke the story.