Director Peter Berg ("The Kingdom," "Hancock") is being courted to helm Sony Pictures espionage thriller "Edwin A. Salt" reports The Hollywood Insider.

The Kurt Wimmer-scripted drama follows CIA officer Edwin A. Salt who is fingered by a defector as a Russian sleeper spy. Salt must elude capture by his superiors and sets out to reunite with his family and prove his innocence.

The project is being developed as a star vehicle for Tom Cruise and the studio is aiming to get into production by March to beat the pending actor's strike deadline should it go into effect next June.