Cumberbatch wrote to Assange, who is living in the Ecuadorian embassy in London to avoid deportation to Sweden, requesting to meet with the Wikileaks founder but his request was rebuffed.
“By meeting with you I would validate this wretched film,” Assange said in a letter to the actor, which has been released by Wikileaks.
“I cannot permit this film any claim to authenticity or truthfulness. In its current form it has neither, and doing so would only further aid the campaign against me.”
Assange added that he thought Cumberbatch was a “good person” but that the film was far from being a good, honest or accurate movie.
The film tells the story of how Wikileaks was created and the global political repurrcussions that were felt when it released thousands or classified government and military documents. It received a standing ovation when it screened at the Toronto Film Festival last month and Cumberbatch has been widely praised for his portrayal of Assange.
The Fifth Estate is due for release nationwide on October 11.
