DreamWorks has released the first trailer for its upcoming movie The Fifth Estate, which examines WikiLeaks and its interactions with both the press and various international governments.
Benedict Cumberbatch plays the role of Julian Assange, alongside Daniel Bruhl as former WikiLeaks spokesperson Daniel Domscheit-Berg. The film itself is based in part on the latter’s book ‘Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange and the World’s Most Dangerous Website‘, as well as the works of The Guardian journalists David Leigh and Luke Harding.
The film is a dramatization and doesn’t try to mimic the cinematography or narrative style found in a documentary; The Fifth Estate’s debut trailer is therefore appropriately edited with a rather dramatic soundtrack and quick cuts.
Assange read a draft version of the film’s script and heavily criticized the film in January this year, calling it a “mass propaganda attack against WikiLeaks the organization, and the character of my staff”.
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WikiLeaks has subsequently tweeted from its official Twitter account in response to the initial trailer:
“The Fifth Estate” trailer has just been released. Don’t be fooled. It implies we gave Iran nukes and killed 2,000 http://t.co/9xs1f0T8il
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) July 17, 2013
The historical accuracy of the film remains to be seen, but it certainly looks capable as a standalone piece of entertainment. The Fifth Estate is currently slated to hit theaters on October 18 in the United States.
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