James McAvoy Set To Star In WikiLeaks Film: Will He Finally Achieve A-List Status?

James McAvoy will likely join the cast of an upcoming drama based on the WikiLeaks scandal. According to the Chicago Tribune, the Scottish actor is in talks to portray Daniel Domscheit-Berg, the German spokesperson for WikiLeaks, the contoversial organization that aims to expose classified government information from countries across the globe. The film is based on Domscheit-Berg's book, "Inside WikiLeaks: My Time With Julian Assange At The World's Most Dangerous Website," as well as on "WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War On Secrecy," by journalists David Leigh and Luke Harding.

Bill Condon ("Dreamgirls," "Twilight: Breaking Dawn") is set to direct the film. TV writer Josh Singer ("The West Wing," "Fringe") is tapped to pen the screenplay.

On Friday, Indie Wire confirmed that British actor Benedict Cumberbatch will play Australian-born WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Cumberbatch and McAvoy previously costarred in the 2007 wartime romance "Atonement."

The film could mark a turning point in McAvoy's career. He has starred in box office sensations like the acclaimed 2008 thriller "Wanted" and "X-Men: First Class," the 2011 prequel to the popular comic book franchise. McAvoy also appeared in such notable films as the Oscar-winning "The Last King of Scotland" in 2006 and the 2005 hit "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe."

Despite taking on such high-profile projects and achieving heart-throb status, the actor has yet to become a household name. But based on the films he has in the pipline, the star could follow in the footsteps of Michael Fassbender, who gave a string of impressive performances in films like "Hunger" and 'Fish Tank" but didn't obtain A-list status until the age of 34.

McAvoy is slated to star in a total of five films next year, including "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby," opposite Jessica Chastain and Viola Davis. He has also signed on to star in the Danny Boyle-directed art thriller "Trance." The actor will also reprise his role as Professor Xavier in "X-Men: Days of Future Past," alongside Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence.