First Look: Benedict Cumberbatch As Julian Assange In ‘The Fifth Estate’; Release Date And Additional Casting Revealed
Julian Assangehas been hailed as a hero by some and decried as a villain by others, so it seems just about perfect thatBill Condon’s WikiLeaks movie stars an actor who can play both. As principal photography on the film, now titledThe Fifth Estate, gets underway, the first photo ofBenedict Cumberbatchas the WikiLeaks founder andDanielBrühlas his former right-hand manDaniel Domscheit-Berghas been revealed.
Meanwhile, the film has also rounded out its casting withLaura Linney,Anthony Mackie,David Thewlis,Peter Capaldi(In the Loop), andCarice van Houten(Game of Thrones).Dan StevensandAlicia Vikanderhave been attached since earlier this winter. In addition, DreamWorks has finally confirmed a fall 2013 release date, putting the film squarely in the middle of prestige-pic season. Check out the photo and get all the new details after the jump.
Domscheit-Berg befriended Assange in 2007 and became WikiLeaks' spokesperson soon after, but departed the organization in 2010 after a nasty falling out. His tell-all book about his time there, titledInside WikiLeaks: My Time With Julian Assange at the World’s Most Dangerous Website, is one of two source materials forThe Fifth Estate. The other isWikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange’s War On Secrecy, by journalistsDavid LeighandLuke Harding.
DreamWorks announced in a press release today thatThe Fifth Estatewill openNovember 15of this year. Its only direct competition on that date so far is the untitled sequel toThe Best Man, butEnder’s GameandThor: The Dark Worldare opening in the weeks before andThe Hunger Games: Catching FireandFrozenhit in the weeks after.
