George Clooney has snapped up the film rights for a book based on the detention and trial of Osama bin Laden's driver, it was reported on Wednesday.

Entertainment industry newspaper Daily Variety said it was not clear what role Oscar-winning actor-director Clooney would take in the project, which will be based on Jonathan Mahler's book "The Challenge."

The story spotlights the efforts of U.S. Navy lawyer Charles Swift and Georgetown law professor Neal Katyal to secure a fair trial for Salim Hamdan, who was last week sentenced to less than five years in prison.

The sentence was later described by Swift as a "stunning rebuke" to the government's case against Hamdan. Prosecutors had demanded the Yemeni be jailed for 30 years, portraying him as a cunning al-Qaeda warrior.

According to Variety, Clooney could direct, write and star in the film. The report said Clooney was considered a perfect choice to play the role of the idealistic lawyer Swift.

Clooney, the star of the "Ocean's 11" films who won an Oscar in 2006 for his role in the spy drama "Syriana," will next be seen in Joel and Ethan Coen's black comedy "Burn After Reading."