Addressing an Oxford Union debate via videolink on Wednesday night, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange called DreamWorks’ upcoming Bill Condon-directed The Fifth Estate a “massive propaganda attack on WikiLeaks and the character of my staff.” Throughout the address, Assange, who has been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since it offered him asylum in August, had what was purported to be a copy of the film’s script — though The Guardian says he never showed it to the camera.
He told students the film was “fanning the flames” of war since, he claims, it starts inside a military complex in Iran with the suggestion a nuclear bomb is being built. He then asked, “How does this have anything to do with us? It is a lie upon lie.” The Fifth Estate started shooting this week with Benedict Cumberbatch as Assange and Daniel Bruhl as his confidant Daniel Domscheit-Berg and traces the early days of WikiLeaks through to the release of a series of controversial and history-changing information disclosures. The script is written by Josh Singer and based on Domscheit-Berg’s book Inside WikiLeaks: My Time With Julian Assange At The World’s Most Dangerous Website, and WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange’s War On Secrecy by Guardian writers David Leigh and Luke Harding.
Related: Participant Media Joins DreamWorks For WikiLeaks Movie ‘The Fifth Estate’
In a statement earlier this week, Condon said: “It may be decades before we understand the full impact of WikiLeaks and how it’s revolutionized the spread of information. So this film won’t claim any long-view authority on its subject, or attempt any final judgment. We want to explore the complexities and challenges of transparency in the information age and, we hope, enliven and enrich the conversations WikiLeaks has already provoked.” The movie is set for release in the U.S. via Touchstone on November 15 this year. Participant Media came aboard this week as co-financier with DreamWorks.


Isn’t it funny that Assange is all about controlling the info/message that gets out about himself? Hoisted on his own petard I’d say.
Al Qaeda spy is what I would call him and PFC Bradley Manning. The difference is Manning is going to spend 20 years in Supermaxx, while Assange lives in relative luxury, probably in South America. He thinks of himself as a Hero. He is really kind of a sleaze bag.
How on earth did you manage to link AlQaeda, Manning and Assange together?? Are you making up stories or what? Do you have any links to support your false claims?
i’d be scared if i were the producers of this film. this weird evil supergenius doesn’t fuck around.
Sure. That’s why he’s living in a cupboard, eating Peruvian Guinea Pig every night.
Ahhh yes, the ‘Peruvian Guinea Pig’ – a well known and loved delicacy served in ECUADORIAN embassies the world over…
Funny how a Russian funded shill accuses others of propaganda
The only real news may cime from Wikileaks and Drudge. What a sad state of affairs.
Strange – he seems to worry more about his supposed “reputation” (and those of the Wikileaks crew that used to like him, but now doesn’t) than he does about the stupid little enlisted twit that stole the info for him.
Manning, Julian. The name was Manning.
What DIFFERENCE does it make?
Aren’t ya glad you settled for the Lesser Evil?
Still waiting for Wikileaks to release a “game changer”. So far there’s been nothing we don’t know already, and nothing that’s put any of our corporate crooks/leaders behind bars. Come on, Assange, let’s see something earth shattering.
Julian Assange is one of the great heroes of our time. Anyone who embarrasses and frightens corrupt politicians must be doing something right. Those who want him in jail want to silence him and close down the openness of information that the Internet has enabled.
What about someone who caused the death or persecution of innocents living under oppressive regimes? He he a hero too?
When I first heard about this I mentally rolled my eyes and said ‘oh boy here comes another hollywood movie to glorify this guy’… this gives me hope that it might at least not be totally biased.
PS Assange — you wouldn’t be the first person to ever be handed a fake script to a movie, so I’m not sure whatever you got is actually what would be in it…
As far as I’m concerned he’s an enemy of the state. Whistle blowing specific wrongs is one thing. Just releasing massive amounts of secret information without caring about the purpose is a crime not just against the states involved but the people, because he could care less what consequences befall them.
How many people have died in the middle east for example in the arab spring so he could live by his principles…
I may have to watch it now, hope it accurately shows that liberal darling for the narcissist that he is
He comes off as such an ass, it’s like he’s been paid off by powerful interests to discredit the very idea of a whistleblower. Hey, waitaminute…
Maybe he’s saying this to draw a bigger crowd at the box offices before the progressives and liberals try to discredit him and his message.
what is this a Zionist PTA meeting here today? Pathetic fear of Assange as if he is anything more than Daniel Elsberg was in his day, a man who incidentally stands alongside Assange and in support of him. People lap up government propaganda like it was warm milk. Sickening.
Anyone remember the Woody Allen short story about the powerful, menacing Dracula? Who is about to attack his victims in their home until they mention the nice solar eclipse that’s going on? Dracula hides in the closet and won’t come out.
Who’s Dream Works trying to “persuade”, and why?
Remember that NO CHARGES were file against Julian IN Sweden or anywhere else.
He’s just miffed because they didn’t ask him to play the lead.
Regardless of whether his comments about the script are true, it amazes me that this very little ‘man’ still fails to acknowledge the consequences of his actions. Releasing thousands of classified documents without any review potentially jeopardized many lives. We may never know the true impact. He needs to show some balls and take responsibility. Another cowering, self absorbed example of the Why Me generation.
The trouble with the movie is that it will have to end with this international menace still on the loose.
Perhaps someone can help out by writing a better one. Here’s hoping some bounty hunter breaks into the enemy embassy and dumps Assange on… oh… the front steps at the F.B.I.
As enemies of America go, he’s near the top of the list. This bacterium should never be able to feel safe starting his car again.
most movies are massive propaganda attacks.
welcome to the jeu world order.
Wait…the king of leaked information is upset information about him and his organization is about to be leaked? Bwa’hahahahaha!
There is nothing more saddening than reading many of the comments here; uninformed, ignorant, prejudiced,and worst of all, proud of it and determined to stay that way. I know that this will fall on deaf ears, but the information is out there. Read the Fucking Manual!
Assange just published the stuff. He didnt dig it up, lie about it or make it up. I say if you’ve nothing to hide, you’ve nothing to fear.
The problem is he doesn’t have any idea what he released and neither do you. Someone’s life or many lives may have been put at risk with information which was placed in the hands of individuals less lazy than this little fame whore who are willing to scour through the documents for any scrap of info. Actions have consequences and if something occurs this coward is culpible. If you believe this to be heroic or OK, you need a dose of reality not the conspiracy crap the Internet feeds you.
bravo sir, bravo!!
Assange is a hero, and the Goebbels-like propaganda campaign against him hasn’t changed that.
They tried the same sort of stuff against Martin Luther King.
Stay strong, Julian.
Has anyone actually read anything on wikileaks? Go check it out, just read the titles of the articles…he pisses off a lot of people with a lot of money, people you never knew existed.
Truth and transparency is of prime importance. Pissing of some one, or lot of people that are hiding facts from the public is irrelevant. The people have a right to know.
In this movie (still under production) as per the script the Director; Bill Condon of Dreamworks is lying about facts. The lie is that Mr. Assange is somehow responsible for the nuclear build up in Iran. How the hell is Mr.Assange associated with the Iran Government or its Nuclear Facilities in Iran??. Tell Bill Condon that such lies are deceptive ways to make money through the medium of movie sales. Tell Bill Condon to change the script and remove all deceitful material from the script or else he could be sued and tried for defamation of Mr. Assange’s character with the intent to cause losses to WikiLeaks.