Condon directed "The Fifth Estate" (2013), a thriller about WikiLeaks starring Benedict Cumberbatch. He said he chose the project for a change of pace and liked its non-ideological approach to a very complex subject. He saw it "in the great tradition of journalistic thrillers". It failed with critics and at the box office. Condon said he was shocked by the complete lack of public interest and questioned the public appeal of its principal subject, Julian Assange. He said: "I do think there's something about him that does not suggest an evening's entertainment."