Matt Damon and Amanda Peet are headed for "Syriana," Warner Bros. Pictures and Section Eight's timely geopolitical thriller tackling oil, international politics and the CIA.

Peet is in advanced negotiations to play the wife of Bryan Woodman (Damon), a handsome oil executive who's in major deal-making mode with an oil sheik when he goes through a pivotal family tragedy. His wife, Julie (Peet), works with him to figure it out.

George Clooney is in advanced negotiations to play career CIA agent Robert Baer. He's tracking terrorists; the American president declares war.

The feature is inspired by real-life CIA agent Robert Baer's memoirs, "See No Evil: The True Story of a Foot Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism," which Warners and Section Eight optioned a couple of years ago with the help of Maria Campbell, a consultant to Warners on literary pickups.

Steven Soderbergh, Clooney and Michael Nozik are producing, with Jennifer Fox, Ben Cosgrove and Georgia Kacandes executive producing. Kevin McCormick is the Warners exec on the movie.

"Traffic" scribe Stephen Gaghan will direct from a script he adapted from Baer's memoirs.

Peet's credits include "Igby Goes Down" and "Something's Gotta Give." Her upcoming features include "A Lot Like Love," British director Nigel Cole's follow-up to "Calendar Girls," and Woody Allen's "Melinda and Melinda." Damon's upcoming features include "The Brothers Grimm," "The Bourne Supremacy" and "Ocean's 12"

Section Eight projects include "The Jacket"; an untitled Ted Griffin project starring Jennifer Aniston; "Ocean's 12"; and the Richard Linklater-helmed "A Scanner Darkly."

Damon is repped by Endeavor. Peet is repped by the Gersh Agency and Management 360. Clooney is repped by CAA.