Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Shailene Woodley Begin Filming 'Snowden' : See the Photo

The biopic, directed by Oliver Stone, will be released on Christmas Day

Photo: Courtesy Open Road Films

The story of controversial NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden will hit the big screen on Christmas Day.

The biopic – starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 34, as Snowden and Shailene Woodley, 23, as his girlfriend, Lindsay Mills – has begun filming on location in Washington D.C. The two are seen walking by the Washington Monument in a first look photo from the movie set.

The film is being directed by Oliver Stone, and co-stars Nicolas Cage, Scott Eastwood, Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto, Tom Wilkinson, Rhys Ifans, Joely Richardson and Timothy Olyphant.

Snowden made headlines in 2013 for releasing documents detailing two NSA surveillance programs authorized by Congress, believing these programs were impinging on Americans’ freedoms. He has been granted political asylum in Russia.

However, he recently made an appearance in Brooklyn – in the form of a large bronze bust that was placed on a war memorial in Fort Greene Park. The bust was installed Sunday night by a trio of artists, but was removed Monday evening, according to ANIMAL New York.

“Fort Greene’s Prison Ship Martyrs Monument is a memorial to American POWs who lost their lives during the Revolutionary War. We have updated this monument to highlight those who sacrifice their safety in the fight against modern-day tyrannies,” the anonymous artists told ANIMAL New York in a statement. “It would be a dishonor to those memorialized here to not laud those who protect the ideals they fought for, as Edward Snowden has by bringing the NSA’s 4th-Amendment-violating surveillance programs to light.”

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