Assange attacks Wikileaks movie

This article is more than 6 years old

Julian Assange doesn't like the movie that is being made about Wikileaks, called The Fifth Estate.

"It is a lie upon lie," he told Oxford university students by videolink from the Ecuadorian embassy. "The movie is a massive propaganda attack on WikiLeaks and the character of my staff."

Assange, who will be portrayed in the film by Benedict Cumberbatch, read from a copy of the script as he accused the movie's maker, Dreamworks, of "fanning the flames" of war against Iran.

He told the Oxford Union that the opening scene was set inside a military complex in Iran with documents containing nuclear symbols and asked: "How does this have anything to do with us?"

In a publicity picture released this week, Cumberbatch was shown in character, sporting long blonde hair. A press release said The Fifth Estate would trace the early days of WikiLeaks, which culminated in the release of a series of information leaks. It is due to be released in the US in November.

Assange has been inside London's Ecuadorian embassy since August. He is defying an extradition warrant to Sweden, where he faces allegations of sex crimes.

See Amelia Hill's take on Assange's performance here

Sources: GlobalNewsDesk/IoL