Dark Horizons Films of 2013 - The Man Who Sold the World

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Opens: 2013
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Bruhl, Alicia Vikander, Dan Stevens
Director: Bill Condon
Analysis: Having delivered the best entries in “The Twilight Saga,” filmmaker Bill Condon turns to a potential Oscar-calibre true story tale with this looks at Australian journalist and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. At one time over a half-dozen Assange movies were in the works, but this looks to be the first of the non-documentaries to get out of the gate and onto screens.
This particular one is primarily based on Daniel Domscheit-Berg’s “Inside Wikileaks”. Domscheit-Berg was a German tech guru, Assange’s former ‘Number Two’ at the organisation, and the official spokesperson for Wikileaks. He defected because he wanted to apply journalistic discretion and integrity in the dispersal of secret government documents, whereas Assange wanted to publish everything. His split from Assange was credited as being one of the events leading to the massive diplomatic cable leak in September 2011 and Assange’s eventual downfall.
Condon and his team were very interactive and extremely forthcoming with the Twihard fan base. Here, he faces a smaller, but even more fanatical and dedicated group that puts the likes of the Browncoats and Team Jacob to shame - the Cumberbitches. Potentially rivalled only by the ground forces of the Armitage Army and the air power of the Hiddlestoners, actor Benedict Cumberbatch should see his devoted fan base dramatically increase this year as he has key roles in two blockbuster sequels (“Star Trek,” “The Hobbit”), and two other award hopefuls (“August: Osage County,” “Twelve Years a Slave”).
If this is completed and out in time for contention though, this will be the one that will likely serve as the ‘Best Actor’ push for the “Sherlock” star. It’ll be fascinating to see what he can bring to the Assange story, and what kind of performance Condon can draw out of him. The delectable James McAvoy will sadly not be joining the film as Domscheit-Berg as originally planned, but Condon has managed to score impressive “Inglorious Basterds” actor Daniel Bruhl in the role.
Elements from the book “WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange’s War on Secrecy” by The Guardian reporters David Leigh and Luke Harding are also being employed, which means this should cover quite a lot of ground in regard to the case. Prep for the movie is in full swing with shooting aiming to begin in Europe in the Spring. With Condon’s pedigree and quality of work on such acclaimed titles as “Kinsey,” “Dreamgirls” and “Gods and Monsters,” this is very much a film to get excited about.