Oscar-winner George Clooney is ready to put the disappointment of The Monuments Men behind him and dive straight back into directing, helming a film about the phone-hacking scandal that led to the closure of British tabloid News of the World.

George ClooneyGeorge Clooney is to make a movie about the hacking scandal [Getty/Feng Li]

Clooney will adapt Nick Davies' book Hack Attack, which documents the Guardian journalist's six year investigation into Rupert Murdoch's empire.

The Hollywood star said the story had "all the elements - lying, corruption, blackmail", wryly adding, "The fact that it's true is the best part."

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Davies' book detailed how British newspapers illegally hacked the telephones of thousands of celebrities, members of the royal family and crime victims, including the murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler. 

"As the son of a journalist, George [Clooney] has a sharp interest in the role journalism plays in all of our lives," said Michael De Luca, of Columbia Pictures - the studio behind the forthcoming film.

"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."

Andy CoulsonAndy Coulson was jailed for 18 months for conspiring to hack phones [Getty]

The hacking scandal took a new turn in June, when former News of the World editor Andy Coulson was jailed for 18 months for hacking phones. Ex-News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks was cleared of all charges.

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Clooney and his producing partner Grant Heslov will be looking for a return to the form with the hacking movie. The pair won an Oscar for the 2012 drama Argo, though last year's history-caper The Monuments Men was panned by critics and did only modest business at the box-office.

Shooting on the hacking movie is scheduled to begin next year.