Actor and director Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer, one of the writers for “The West Wing,” have joined forces on an untitled drama which will follow the footsteps of the Boston Globe journalists who uncovered the sex abuse coverup in the Catholic Church in that area.

McCarthy has been working on the project for over a year, but has kept his work secret due to the sensitive nature of the film. The project was initially announced in April 2010 and is said to have similarities to “All the President’s Men.”

McCarthy told Boston.com about the film. He said, “This is a story that feels like it has to be told.”

McCarthy, who is a graduate of Boston College and grew up in a largeIrish American family, said he felt drawn to the story because of his own connections.

He added, “It’s such a great reminder of how essential investigative journalism is.”

The movie follows the work of the Spotlight Team, consisting of reporters Michael Rezendes, Sacha Pfeiffer, and Matt Carroll. The movie also looks at the work of editor Walter Robinson, project editor Ben Bradlee Jr, and Globe Editor Marty Baron. The producers have secured life rights of the mentioned Globe reporters.

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When Baron was starting out as Globe Editor, he saw a story in the Globe about a Boston priest who had molested children and he had a hunch that there was more to story. He sent a group of reporters to interview scores of victims and pore over thousands of documents. The work took over a year.

But the effort was worth it. The Globe team discovered that Cardinal Bernard Law had hidden abusive priests for years by moving them to different parishes. The team won the Pulitzer Prize in 2003 for meritorious public service. Their stories also ignited a wave of similar allegations around the world. Law resigned from his Vatican post in 2011.

McCarthy recently co-wrote and directed “Win Win” for Fox Searchlight. McCarthy also wrote and directed “The Station Agent and “The Visitor.” He was previously nominated for an Oscar for co-creating the story of Pixar’s film “Up.” Singer started his career writing for “The West Wing” and later wrote and produced numerous episodes of “Law & Order: SUV,” “Lie to Me,” and “Fringe.”

The film, produced by Anonymous Content and Rocklin/Faust, has not yet been opened to financiers or studios. Nor has the film attached itself to any actors, although one star is interested in the material.