The Fifth Estate is the the newest film from Breaking Dawn director Bill Condon and starring Sherlock‘s Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role of Julian Assange.
The Fifth Estate takes a look at the relationship between WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and his early supporter and eventual colleague, Daniel Domscheit-Berg, and how the website’s growth and influence led to an irreparable rift between the two friends. Assange declined to participate in The Fifth Estate, but according to Condon, Assange did discuss the project with Cumberbatch over e-mail.
The film also stars Dan Stevens from Downton Abbey, Stanely Tucci from The Hunger Games, and David Thewlis from Harry Potter. The Fifth Estate is based on the books Inside WikiLeaks by former WikiLeaks spokesperson Daniel Domscheit-Berg, the Guardian book WikiLeaks, and an endless supply of articles and documentaries.
See just-released stills from the movie below:
Bill Condon spoke with the Huffington Post about trying to make the movie in this political climate. “It’s not an easy thing to do — certainly within the studio system,” he said. “So it was thrilling that this one was happening. This is a movie that includes complicated issues. There are such good arguments on all sides of this. Having the chance to explore it for a year seemed really exciting.”
The Fifth Estate releases nation wide on October 18. How do you think Cumberbatch fills the role of Julian?