It’s no surprise that the film industry has turned to the controversial story of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for an upcoming release.
The film, titled The Fifth Estate, stars British actor Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead role (War Horse, Sherlock) in a movie based on two books, by the German technology activist Daniel Domscheit-Berg and by Luke Harding and David Leigh of the Guardian.
As with real events, the film reveals how the quest to expose classified U.S. military and diplomatic documents turned an Internet upstart into global headline news.
Assange who has full knowledge of the film, is clearly not happy about it, having publicly described it as a “massive propaganda attack” on him and his organisation and taking it so far as to send a personal email to Cumberbatch asking him not to take part in the project.
The ten page email, received the day before filming began back in January, detailed why it would be morally wrong for Cumberbatch to be part of something that Assange believed would be truly damaging.
After almost adhering to Assange’s plea, Cumberbatch’s reply read: “This film is going to explore what you achieved, what brought you to the world’s attention, in a way that I think is nothing but positive. I admit to doing work because I’m a vain actor “¦ yet I’m not acting in a moral vacuum. I have considered this, and whatever happens I want to give as much complexity and understanding of you as I can.”
The Fifth Estate, in cinemas 11th October 2013, also stars Daniel Brühl, Laura Linney and Stanley Tucci.
Watch the trailer below:
Source: The Guardian
