Argo is a 2012 political thriller directed by Ben Affleck, and produced by Grant Heslov, Affleck and George Clooney. The screenplay by Chris Terrio was adapted from sections of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operative Tony Mendez's memoir The Master of Disguise: My Secret Life in the CIA, and the 2007 Wired article The Great Escape by Joshuah Bearman on the Canadian Caper. The film stars Affleck as Mendez, who attempts to rescue six United States diplomats from Tehran, Iran, during the 1979–81 Iran hostage crisis by pretending that they are part of a film crew scouting the country for the filming of a fictitious science-fiction film, Argo. Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, and John Goodman feature in supporting roles.