Bradley Manning Trial Leads to New Movie
The trial of Bradley Manning, the young man who gave classified military information to WikiLeaks back in 2010, has come to an end and Manning has been found guilty of 19 charges including theft, computer fraud and espionage. It appears that plans for a movie of his life, transgressions and trial is already underway.
Back in May 2010, when Manning was stationed in Iraq, he and hacker Adrian Lamo of WikiLeaks were communicating via instant messenger, The Washington Post reported. Shortly there after, Lamo alerted authorities of Manning's transgressions. Film maker Alex Gibney believes this story is ripe for a successful movie.
Last year, Gibney optioned the book "Private: Bradley Manning, WikiLeaks, and the Biggest Exposure of Official Secrets in American History," written by Denver Nicks, according to Variety.
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"The Bradley Manning story is easily one of the most important stories of the last decade. In many ways, Bradley Manning's story is the story of the United States in the post 9/11 era," author Denver Nicks said in an interview to Variety.
Gibney is no stranger to stories of espionage and treasonous military actions. He won an Oscar for his 2007 films "Taxi to the Dark Side" which was about suspicious activities of American soldiers in Afghanistan.
Gibney also made a documentary "We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks."
As to the Bradley Manning trial, Gibney has spoken out about Manning's sentencing.
"I hope that Judge Lind will be lenient in her sentence, taking into consideration Manning's intent, his willingness to take responsibility for his actions, and the outrageously abusive treatment he has received at the hands of the Obama administration," said Gibney.
