Report: Senate investigating CIA contacts who talked to the makers of 'Zero Dark Thirty'

The movie still hasn't opened in wide release, but controversy about Zero Dark Thirty continues to engulf Washington. Reuters reports that the Senate Intelligence Committee is now reviewing the intelligence personnel who served as the official contacts with film's director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal. Specifically, the investigation will attempt to determine whether the CIA gave the filmmakers inappropriate access to material pertaining to the Bin Laden investigation. As Reuters notes, the specific nature of the Zero Dark Thirty controversy has transformed — or perhaps "metastasized" is a better word. The film was originally assailed by Republicans for its perceived pro-Obama administration stance, and has now managed to anger prominent Democrats for its portrayal of the apparent success of "enhanced interrogation" techniques.

The investigation will reportedly include a closer look at Michael Morell, who was the CIA's deputy director at the time that Bigelow and Boal were researching Zero Dark Thirty. Morell met with the filmmakers at one point. In a rare union of two political mega-controversies, Reuters also reports that Morell has been considered the favorite to replace departed CIA director David Petraeus.

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