DreamWorks to Release WikiLeaks Film “The Fifth Estate”
Principal photography has begun on the WikiLeaks drama “The Fifth Estate,” it was announced Tuesday by DreamWorks Studios.
The film about the controversial website stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Julian Assange and Daniel Brühl as Daniel Domscheit-Berg, as well as Laura Linney, Anthony Mackie, David Thewlis, Peter Capaldi, Dan Stevens, Alicia Vikander and Carice van Houten.
Big trouble for Wikileaks, a not-for-profit media organization that releases classified information for public consumption, began in November 2010 when it published 251,287 leaked United States embassy cables (communications).
It was stated to be the largest set of confidential documents ever to be released into the public domain. The documents informed people around the world about US Government’s covert foreign activities. (Read: Wikileaks Leaks Out Secret US Embassy Cables)
Later, believed to be under US Government’s pressure, Wikileaks’ major corporate partners severed their relations with the site to disrupt its activities aimed to expose the wrongdoings of various governments around the world. (Read: Wikileaks: All Leaks are being Plugged)
“The Fifth Estate” will open in U.S. theaters on November 15, 2013 and be distributed domestically by Disney’s Touchstone label.
Distribution internationally will be split among Disney, DreamWorks partner Reliance, and deals made through the studio’s partnership with Mister Smith Entertainment.
[ Also Read: Wikileaks Boss Julian Assange to Host TV Show ]Following Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Brühl), an early supporter and eventual colleague of Julian Assange (Cumberbatch), “The Fifth Estate” traces the heady, early days of WikiLeaks, culminating in the release of a series of controversial and history changing information leaks.
The website’s overnight success brought instant fame to its principal architects and transformed the flow of information to news media and the world at large.
In the picture above: Benedict Cumberbatch (left) portrays Julian Assange and Daniel Brühl portays Daniel Domscheit-Berg in the DreamWorks Pictures’ drama “The Fifth Estate.” Photographer: Frank Connor DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC
