Acclaimed Documentarian Alex Gibney To Helm His First Narrative Feature, ‘The Action’

As the man responsible for some of the most memorable documentaries in recent memory, Alex Gibney is ready to make his way into the world of narrative filmmaking. In 2015 alone, the director made waves with two critically adored documentaries, “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief” and “Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine.” This year, he unleashed “Zero Days” at the Berlin International Film Festival, a documentary about cyber warfare. Needless to say, Gibney is no stranger to controversy, and his first feature seems to be no different. 

READ MORE: Berlin Review: Alex Gibney’s Chilling Cyber-Espionage Documentary ‘Zero Days’

A political thriller set in the 1970s, “The Action” looks to chronicle the story of eight anti-war activists who exposed J. Edgar Hoover as he spied and blackmailed Vietnam War protesters. Seemingly inspired by true events and a group of activists who worked to unveil the FBI’s highly classified documents on surveillance, the story seems right up Gibney’s alley. Although the FBI worked diligently on tracking down the so-called troublemakers, the agency failed to catch them for decades. Scott Z. Burns, who worked on the screenplays for Steven Soderbergh’s “Contagion” and “Side Effects,” will pen the feature. 

As with Gibney’s previous efforts, “The Action” seems to be tapping into public sentiment surrounding recent controversies regarding surveillance in the United States. His first narrative feature will be distributed by Lionsgate.