The story behind the Panama Papers, the expose of the financial dealings of the rich and powerful, is being turned into a feature film.

Netflix, the internet TV company, has snapped up exclusive rights to the book by the two investigative journalists who were leaked the data.

Frederik Obermaier and Bastian Obermayer worked through an anonymous source, known as John Doe, to tell the story of how the wealthy hid billions of dollars offshore.

Members of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), who worked with Obermaier and Obermayer on the papers, are collaborating on the film.

The announcement comes after reports that director Steven Soderbergh could also be making a movie about the data leak.

Netflix's chief content officer Ted Sarandos said: "We are confident that between the expert investigative work of Obermaier and Obermayer, the only journalists in touch directly with John Doe, the ICIJ and the master storytelling of John Wells Productions, we will be able to deliver a gripping tale that will deliver the same type of impact as the Panama Papers when they were first revealed on the world's front pages."