After being attacked by hackers who are now suspected of working for North Korea, and after receiving threats of pending attacks against movie theaters and movie-goers, Sony Pictures has
decided to cave to the threats and has cancelled the release of Seth Rogen's 'The Interview' which is a comedy about an assassination attempt against North Korea's dictator Kim Jong Un:
Sony Pictures Entertainment has walked out on “The Interview,” deciding against releasing the Seth Rogen-James Franco comedy in any form — including VOD or DVD.
“Sony Pictures has no further release plans for the film,” a spokesman said Wednesday.
The studio issued the statement a few hours after pulling the planned Christmas Day release of “The Interview” in response to the hackers who threatened movie theaters and moviegoers if the comedy were released.
The move could open the door for Sony to sell the rights to a rival distributor — though Hollywood is still reeling from Tuesday’s invocation of a possible 9/11-type terrorist attack on exhibitors who screened “The Interview.”
On Wednesday, several published reports said that federal authorities had determined that hackers working on behalf of the North Korean government were behind the hack attack. CNN’s Evan Perez said that an announcement is expected on Thursday that would “assign attribution” to the country.
It’s also unclear if Sony’s declaration of “no further release plans” applies to international distribution. “The Interview” has been scheduled for release in foreign markets starting in late January.
In other words, the hackers win. Too bad Team America.
After being attacked by hackers who are now suspected of working for North Korea, and after receiving threats of pending attacks against movie theaters and movie-goers, Sony Pictures has decided to cave to the threats and has cancelled the release of Seth Rogen's 'The Interview' which is a comedy about an assassination attempt against North Korea's dictator Kim Jong Un:
