For over a week, we’ve been getting gossip from the Sony Hack. Sony execs were humiliated by their bad email behavior. Now sh-t has gotten real in a huge way. The hackers behind all of these Sony leaks have revealed their motive: They want to quash the release of The Interview, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco.
Have you seen the trailer to this movie? It’s so dumb. Seth and James play a couple of screwballs hired by the US government to assassinate North Korea’s dictator, Kim Jong-un. (The story sounds like something that Seth and James dreamt up when they were totally not smoking pot together.) The movie contained a graphic, face-melting death scene that Sony toned down, but it wasn’t enough to appease the hackers. They’ve issued a very scary threat:
The Sony hackers have threatened a 9/11-like attack on movie theaters that screen Seth Rogen and James Franco’s North Korean comedy the Interview, substantially escalating the stakes surrounding the release of the movie.
The attackers also released the promised “Christmas gift” of files. The contents of the files are unknown but it’s called “Michael Lynton,” who is the CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Past messages have included budgets to Sony films, salary information of top executives, and employee medical records and social security numbers.
There have been suspicions that the attack may have been launched by North Korea in retaliation for The Interview‘s depiction of an assassination attempt on Kim Jong-un. The country has denied involvement but praised the attacks.
The note also threatens people who attend the premiere of The Interview. A New York premiere of the film is scheduled to take place Thursday at Sunshine Cinema and has already been scaled down, according to a report in the New York Post. A special screening of the film took place in Los Angeles last week without incident.
A spokesman for the studio, an FBI spokesman and a spokesman for the National Association of Theatre Owners were not immediately available for comment.
Read the full message:
Warning
We will clearly show it to you at the very time and places The Interview be shown, including the premiere, how bitter fate those who seek fun in terror should be doomed to.
Soon all the world will see what an awful movie Sony Pictures Entertainment has made.
The world will be full of fear.
Remember the 11th of September 2001.
We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time.
(If your house is nearby, you’d better leave.)
Whatever comes in the coming days is called by the greed of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
All the world will denounce the SONY.
[From Variety]
Variety also notes that Seth and James have cancelled several press appearances, including visits to Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon. The New York City premiere has been cancelled. Both dudes attended the LA premiere last week (photos included) without incident, but this was before the official threat was issued.
The fallout is unreal. This morning, TMZ reports that Sony is convinced the hacking is an inside job, sort of. Sources connected to Sony say they believe North Koreans were likely involved, but someone inside the studio helped them pinpoint the most embarrassing information. Is the threat real? The Department of Homeland Security says no active plot has been uncovered against specific movie theaters, but it’s still scary. Industry analysts warn that theaters will open themselves up to lawsuits if they show the movie at all.
Even if some theaters ignore the warnings, I don’t think anyone would risk their lives to watch a silly James Franco movie. It would be far less risky to stay home and watch Pineapple Express instead (“I can see through my leg hole!“), and the pothead effect would probably be the same. Sony knows this, and they’re reportedly on the verge of canceling the entire release.
Sony considering scratching plans to release “The Interview” on Dec. 25, says a person with knowledge of the situation. More details soon
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) December 17, 2014
Movie stills courtesy of Sony/Columbia Pictures; photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet & WENN
Well that escalated quickly. I would be very surprised if Sony actually cancels the release of the movie altogether though. While the email hacks were amazing, terroristic threats are no joke.
Straight to video? Where, if Rogen is involved, is place where it belongs anywhoo.
I love Seth Rogen, so completely disagree with your straight to video comment. All these terrorist threats are going to backfire and make the movie even MORE popular, I am sure of it.
HA! indeed, it’s the only place he belongs.
“THE SONY” sounds so freaking ominous. it’s like a cartoon villain wrote that note.
It’s okay that you love Rogen. I like THE FRANCO, as a concept. Those threats do not effect my behavior, since I wasn’t planning to go see it in the first place. So BWAHAHA foiled THE SONY villain!
Rogen has been in some good movies but this looks awful
That’s what confuses me about this hack. Everyone has been laughing about it, but now youake that kind of a threat, and you know that the US government is going to start seriously looking into it. It brings a lot more serious investigation to the hackers…and I’ll bet Sony is spending and arm and a leg on private investigators too.
Oh yeah, and this qualifies as terrorism, so if a US citizen, most definitely not a smart move.
If they DO release the movie, will people even go see considering this threat? They’re going to lose money either way, right? Doesn’t seem worth it
Sony just announced they will not be releasing the film.Earlier today 5 theater chains said they would not show the film.The criminals won
This whole situation is so bizarre! For a Seth Rogen film? Really? Weird. I doubt North Korea is actually involved though, it sounds more like a bitter (former) employee or something like that.
This is an issue of freedom of expression.
If North Korea is really involved in hacking Sony emails it should be considered espionage which is a federal crime..
What is bothersome is that film, which is considered art, should not be pressured to changed because it bothers politics.
Art is supposed to enlighten, entertain and challenge our thinking.
Amen denisemich. Well said.
Exactly! This movie might not be good, but it has a right to exist and be shown!
BINGO to everything you said denisemich!
Exactly.
American’s right to satire and parody has been upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States.
OK, you know what? Everybody buy a ticket from Fandango. Even if you don’t use it , the movie will still make a sh*tload of money.
And people, no matter what you think of this movie or of seth rogen or james franco or movies in general is NOT the point. .
This idea of letting this as#hole dictate to us, The United States of America is the point. God bless America.
Well said, indeed. Agree 100%.
It was confirmed tonight that the hack has direct connections to North Korea.
FRANCO. A mover and a shaker, a man who has the power to threaten world peace. Again,
THE FRANCO.
@Kiddo – you made me laugh out loud. Thanks.
An early Christmas present: THE FRANCO.
Oh how I’ve missed him so….
+1
Oh someone (read: a lot of people) will risk their lives to go see it.
I also don’t believe North Korea is really behind this, it just seems more like a great excuse to go about these actions and expose these secrets. I also wouldn’t be surprised if it was an inside job.
I was just thinking it’s going to be interesting to see how Seth Rogan’s career goes from here. Obviously he’s not to blame for this, but I imagine there might be some grudges held that his dumb film is going to cost Sony possibly billions (the employees are now interested in suing the company).
Actually, the Sony hack lines up with tactics N Korea has used in the past.
I don’t think it’s the North Koreans either. I think it’s a bunch of American kids hacking into websites for fun, just because they can.
I think it was an inside job by one or more incredibly coked up idiots, who panicked after and, in hopes of shifting the focus of the investigation, dreamed up this exponentially worse ‘fix.’
Just seems like the most likely scenario.
Totally going on Friday. High.
Same here.
I wasn’t planning to see it in theaters until now. I hope the threats backfire in a big way. Shutting down a movie to satiate a war criminal’s propaganda machine… which isn’t even affected by American releases anyway, since the NK people are kept in the dark?! They should have ZERO say over our freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
@trillion, yup! @kiddo, hahaha!
Be careful going stoned.
I recently went through airport security really high (thank you Denver!) and the paranoia was through-the-roof. Also, I got in the wrong security line TWICE and missed my stop on the train-thingie that goes from terminal to terminal.
I guess the room for error is minimized when you’re just sitting in a theater seat but still….
The trick is to eat an edible right before you get in the security line. Then you can find your gate and have a happy flight as well!
My hubby and I live in Denver and we were boarding a plane, already late for boarding (we could hear our names being called on the intercom) and my husband had ate a ton of edibles, probably 250 milligrams worth, so once we get to our gate, he flips out and is like, my cotton mouth is so extreme I need a water and runs off. The gates attendants were harassing us about holding everything up. He literally didn’t come back for another 15 minutes. The Denver airport is big, especially when you’re running late, it takes forever to get through the lines and security.
@Tiffany and @Hotpockets:
What do you mean by “edible”?
I tried to look it up and only found
edible fat
edible oil
edible fish
edible mushroom
edible snail [zool.]
edible plant [agr.]
edible dormouse pl.:
edible dormice [zool.]
edible offal [cook.]
edible plants [agr.]
edible sea urchin [zool.]
large edible rock crab [zool.]
@Tiff-I was too seduced by the Durham Poison sativa to think about the candies and stuff.
That would have been smart though.
@Hotpockets-YES! Airport was too big and too confusing to be stoned in.
Edibles are pot/THC/CBD laced food. (THC and CBD are compounds in pot). They can put it in candy, baked goods, glycerin, butter…pretty much anything. The thing about edibles is that they take a bit to kick in (like an hour), and they don’t have a standard dose. One chocolate bar might be 8 “servings” or it might be 1, so it can be easy to go overboard if you aren’t used to that specific food item from that specific producer. They take a while to wear off, so if you go overboard it is best to have a cheeseburger and take a nap.
However, if you start slowly and don’t go overboard, they can be great experience… So I’ve heard. 😉
Kitten, I’m very intrigued by the Durham Poison!
(And I am cracking up over “edible dormouse” whaaa? )
Yeah. This is a story largely ignored. It seems possible that a hostile foreign power hacked the corporate computers of a major communications company, exposed it’s leaders as racists and bad mannered goofs and put at risk the personal information of thousand of innocent workers.
Sony looks ridiculous on sooo many fronts. Sound like a sequel to this sad “comedy.”
Possibly producing a movie that entertains with the idea of assasinating a foreign leader wasn’t such a savvy move either. But what do I know, I’m a woman.
And here is another woman thinking the same thing; making a movie about assassinating a current world leader is a very bad idea. If some foreign country made a film about assassinating the POTUS I bet it would be seen as anything but art. It would be seen asan act of aggression or something.
Was not planning to see this movie to begin with but if this is an inside job, I hope the idiot gets what they deserve for bringing up 9/11 like that and making legit terrorist threats. Again all because of a movie.
I was thinking the same thing. Regardless of what we think of other countries, assassinating a leader, even in a movie, is inflammatory. What if Republicans made a satirical movie or had a satirical segment on Fox about assassinating President Obama? Democrats would (rightly) have a fit. What if Democrats made a satirical movie or had a satirical segment on CNN or MSNBC about assassinating President Bush? Republicans would (rightly) have a fit. I may be in the minority, but I just don’t think it’s a good idea.
There’s been plenty of criticism for the current and all former presidents, and people are entitled to their opinions, but I think something this crosses the line. It doesn’t excuse the threats in the least, but it does seem to invite them.
“making a movie about assassinating a current world leader is a very bad idea. ”
Didn’t South Park do something similar in their puppet movie?
At the end of the day, parody and satire are things that are very important in American culture. It is a right that has been defended by the United States Supreme Court. It has been used for political commentary for hundreds of years. This movie looks nothing like a legitimate plot. It isn’t realistic, it is satire and parody, meaning that they exaggerate to make a point.
The South Park movie killed almost every world leader, and had Kim Jong II turn into a cockroach alien.
IMHO, it might’ve been more prudent to make a movie targeting a fictional leader looking an awful like Kim Jung Un than to make it about the actual leader. Having said that, though, I find it shocking that Sony is canceling the release due to threats. That opens the door for any and all cyber bullies and others who seek to impinge on First Amendment rights via threats of violence. Whatever anyone feels about the making of this movie, Sony had the right to make it and we have a right to see it or to not. But that choice shouldn’t be made for us by foreign governments, terrorists or anyone else. I mean, really — if the KKK has the right to spew out hateful nonsense, then certainly we should have the right to make and see a movie about an asshat who should be laughable but isn’t really because of his abuse of power at home and apparent ability to wreak havoc elsewhere.
Frankly, if I were a decision maker at Sony, knowing that these people have released and will likely continue to release information that is at best embarrassing and at worst likely to lead to the company’s downfall, I would officially upload the movie onto the Internet, in its entirety, for free. No premiere, no formal release. Just in the spirit of “here ya go, have at it, this is a free country, we’re financially screwed on this one so we’re writing it off.” Because I really don’t think one can or should try to appease a bully, no matter what form the bullying takes.
I agree, Nimbolicious. What the hackers don’t want is for people to see the movie, so if they give it away (or offer it On Demand), many more eyes will see it.
I think that would be a brilliant F U to the hackers.
Oh, I understand parody and enjoy it.
I also find timing is very important in life and hqave a lot of respect for it as well.
I was pretty turned off by the promo, but I’ve never found assassination funny. Why in the world couldn’t they at least make up a tiny non-existent country somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic rather than using a real person? That’s total lack of imagination as well as stupid. Before doing anything, always turn it around and ask yourself if it would be such a good idea if you were the target. In this case, imagine the response if they chose the US President or Queen Elizabeth as the assassination target in their merry script.
I doubt it’s a North Korean response, though. Much more likely homegrown and employed at Sony, using the North Korean thing to deflect attention from its stupid little self. There are plenty of actions by the US government to complain about, a silly movie is hardly a better target. I do hope it’s not an attempt to rev up support for a U.S. attack on North Korea, though. I’ve seen such government manipulation of public opinion before too many times, accusing the enemy du jour of something to get Americans angry and afraid just before the troops and the bombers head out. People don’t pay much attention when the accusations turn out to be false, by then the target country is bombed and/or occupied and we’re all supposed to think we won.
Of course, maybe this particular plot was concocted by somebody involved with the film who is truly desperate to keep it out of theaters because they’re so embarrassed to be associated with it. 🙂
I am sure that other studios are now pressuring Sony to pull the film.
It affects all movies being released on Dec 25th, not just The Interview.
While these threats may be idle, if even just 25% of movie-goers are afraid to turn up that weekend (better safe than sorry) that will have serious financial implications for one of the biggest box office weekends of the year.
I hadn’t even thought of that. Good point.
But yea wow this escalated really quickly.
Not that the studios can’t stomach the hit of one failed Christmas season. We already know how much money they make.
Giving in to the demands of terrorists sets a dangerous precedent.
I think someone should create a movie about the Sony hack that has cameo appearances of all those affected as well as a fact based script of the investigation.
I completely agree. I would go see that movie, and I never go to the theaters!
Yeah good point I wasn’t planning on seeing this movie just a movie around Christmas but I live in NYC and I might consider not going to a theater in Times Square or Union Square if there were a terrorist threat.
They could just delay release for a while until the hackers are caught, or just go to paid downloads/pay per view/ DVDs. I’m surprised theater releases are being given such importance anymore, there are so many other profitable opportunities. It hardly sounds like a Christmas movie anyway!
It blows my mind that this whole sh*t storm started over this crappy movie. It looks stupid and a waste of time. At first I thought, stupid big wigs are getting humbled over their arrogance. But when your personal safety is being threatened that’s when you have to get involved.
I mean this stars Franco for God sakes, that alone would make anyone want to run for the hills.
All of this, over a silly sounding movie and a major corporation that didn’t choose to invest in adequate cyber security. Or training on professional communications etiquette, apparently.
Exactly. Risk your life to see this sh*t? Risk a lawsuit for showing it? Even though SONY is the “victim” here it’s hard to scrape up any sympathy for them. Maybe if they had put out a good movie, and had bothered to secure their files, and didn’t act like such big babies, we’d have some sympathy for them. I do feel sorry for the innocent employees who are now being threatened. Which is totally SONY’s fault.
There is a part of me who thinks this has to be a joke. And if it isn’t well they have already won by cancelling events.
North Korea is incapable of stealthily destroying thousands of American movie theaters. If they could do that, they would be doing far worse. This is all BS meant to create fear.
And wasn’t their current Fearless Leader educated in the US? He would be familiar enough with US culture to know that such an approach to an obnoxious film wouldn’t help and most likely would make things more dangerous for North Korea (people more willing to send in the bombers). Much easier to bribe a bunch of movie reviewers and Internet posters to slam the movie, which they would be doing anyway because it really does look awful in the promo.
Maybe Sony should just leak the movie online so that North Korea will take down the Internet in retaliation and Gawker, Daily Beast etc would not be able to leak any more embarrassing email exchanges from Sony.
That’s actually a really cleaver idea!!
The hack aside, who greenlit this nonsense? I have no problem with parodying other world leaders but there are smarter ways than this. I mean they didnt even change the name of the leader or the country and they actually manage to assassinate him in the most gruesome manner. This is not political satire, its just a stupid Hollywood money grab. And now that this crap has been made we now have to stand up for “creative freedoms”? Well I refuse to watch this gabage precisely because it lacks creativity. Strap Seth Rogen to a chair and force him to watch Chaplins “Dictator”
YEEESSS!!! I was just thinking the same thing! The stupidity of that move is astounding.
Can’t imagine why would anyone find it entertaining either.
I’m actually glad. This will draw attention to the plight of the North Koreans that many young people are totally unaware of. The people if North Korea continue to suffer and it’s so rarely discussed.
I feel bad for Lizzy Caplan. She’s so talented and she doesn’t get as many shots at movie stardom as Rogan and Franco.
I was amazed when I saw her in this. She’s such a good actress and is doing well with MoS, but this looks like such crap. Sad there aren’t better opportunities for her.
She’s good friends with these guys in real life. That probably has a lot to do with her being in the movie. I agree she should get more big roles because she’s amazing, but I don’t think she took this for lack of options. I think her old friend wrote her a part.
Sony should release it VOD at a premium price. I really think people would rent to watch it at home out of curiosity. The whole point is that the hackers don’t want people to see it. So Sony should make it easier for people to see it, at home. I actually enjoy Rogen and Franco for what they are. Pineapple Express and This is the End were funny.
My thoughts exactly. Do a big, splashy on-demand release and bill it as the movie the North Korean government doesn’t want you to see.
I’m totally we you guys on this! And by the way, bring on the silliness! Love these guys.
I think that is a great idea. I wonder how difficult that would be to set up in just over a week?
I would watch it. This is actually a really good idea. Someone inform Sony!
But then you risk the hackers shutting down Netflix, Amazon, and whoever else streams video.
Oh for f–k’s sake. It’s not even a film that’s going to have any serious, deep political thoughts or commentary to it and yet this is the movie they choose to get serious over.
Whoever’s doing this is, it’s coming across as pretty diva-like and sad. This month is already so stressful and now this gets added to it. Terrorism is a very real threat and it feels like someone is just piggyback riding on a serious, heartbreaking issue just to have their moment.
The skeptic in me is wondering if this was a poorly-thought-out PR effort to generate buzz about the movie and clean house at Sony. Some people will actually go out of their way to see this dumb thing because ‘Murica!
No way. It’s way too damaging to future working relationships with actors, producers, agents, etc to be on purpose, even as a “bad idea”. I know everyone likes to blame everything on PR, but some things are really not about that. This is corporate espionage, at the very least.
My tinfoil hat conspiracy: The hacks were legit, but the terrorist threats are planted PR to save jobs (who is going to fire an executive after a terrorism threat?), distract attention from the hacked information, and write off an awful movie without being blamed for it. Sort of the Hollywood version of Wag the Dog.
+1. This was my exact thought. Especially since I just finished watching ARGO.
My skeptical nature entertained this thought as well. That this was an INSIDE hack job of SONY and now the ante is being upped to save face, cover tracks, and generate buzz at the expense of North Korea. I’m sure I’m wrong though.
I rather wonder how this film got made in the first place. And I’m not talking about the fact that it looks terrible. Why would anyone write/produce/want to act in a film that revolves around the assasination of an actual living person. Obviously, Kim Jong Un is a terrible dictator who’s shows little if any regard for his own people. But he is a person. They could just as well have made this movie about a fictional leader of a fictional country. Even before the hack and now this terror threat, I had thought the whole thing was tasteless.
I am in now way condoning or rationalising the terror threat of course!
This is exactly what I’ve been thinking this whole time. Yes Kim is an absolute ass, but he is a human being. This movie may be billed as a stupid comedy, and I generally will see anything Franco and Rogen put out, but I think this movie is so offensive.
Yup. Totally agree. I tried to say the same thing in an earlier comment, but you guys said it better.
I’m actually glad. This will draw attention to the plight of the North Koreans that many young people are totally unaware of. The people if North Korea continue to suffer and it’s so rarely discussed.
Kim is a human being as you say, a human being that imprisoned and tortured thousands upon thousands of innocent people. There have been children born in those prisons who grew up never experiencing life outside the prison walls and who grew up starved, abused and tortured.
I suggest you read up and educate yourself before crying about Kim’s humanity. This is exactly why this film should have been made….obviously the world has forgotten the continued suffering of these people
Anony, you’re right about the terrible and mostly ignored plight of the people of North Korea, but I think you’re talking about the wrong Kim. The film parodies an assassination of Kim Jong Un, not his father Kim Jong Il. While the former does not seem to be making any strides in improving conditions, he has not been in power long enough for children to grow up in prison under his rule.
yeah that movie looks stupid bad as f*ck so I see why bother with it to begin with much less if ther are threatening my life behind that silly mess
I’m guessing this is a hollow threat, but I can understand Sony not wanting to take any risks and be held responsible, should some nutball do something.
It is amazing the fallout that has come from this. Their studio head looks weak and racist, other power players don’t come off well, and a number of big actors have been insulted. And now terrorist threats.
I can’t believe all this sh-t is happening because of a stupid movie.
This is going bizarr
The moment when 2 dudebro douchy pot heads, one if which us a Serious Artiste, brought down Sony Studios.
In a few years it will make for a fantastic HBO mini series.
We have reached the Zenith of James Franco assholery.
LOL, yep, we have. And over a movie that, let’s face it, looks like crap anyway.
Bunch of nerds are good at computer hacking, any other violent physical threats by them are made up by Sony people in my opinion. Scare tactics to scare the media so they won’t print the hacked emails etc.
TMZ is reporting this: They are also saying Angelina Jolie is among the actors and actresses supporting Amy Pascal.
“Sony execs are now convinced someone who worked for the studio is behind the massive hacking … because no one from the outside could so precisely target the compromising information.
Multiple sources connected to the studio tell TMZ … the strong, prevailing view is that the North Koreans are probably involved, but they used someone with intimate knowledge of the Sony email system to laser in on the most embarrassing information.
We’re told the people at Sony who are investigating believe the hackers had intimate knowledge of mail systems and their configurations. They also believe the hackers have knowledge of the internal media distribution systems and the internal IT systems, including human resources and payroll.
Several people suggested a possible link between the hackers and Sony layoffs, which included a large number of IT employees.”
Now this makes the most sense; two parties with different agendas teaming up to take down a common foe.
DEAR SONY HACKERS:
Boy, did you botch this one up. You had me at “soon the whole world will see what a terrible movie Sony has made.” Because isn’t that the truth – that movie looks like it SUCKS.
But then you had to go and make a terrorist threat. WTF? You could have stopped at pointing out the obvious – hello, sucky movie! – and it would have been a total WIN. But NOOOOOO. You had to go and try to be all badass with yourselves. And now I am laughing at you, so hard, because you are getting your panties in a wad. About James Franco and Seth Rogen.
O RLY?
Love it!
As stupid add this movie looks, it pisses me off that north Korea is trying to control the American public! They can control what they watch, that shouldn’t be able to dictate what American’s view…
I don’t understand why Franco and Rogan couldn’t make a movie about a dictator without actually using the man’s actual name. There are a ton of movies about the American President but he never gets called by his actual real life name. Whatever happened to creativity? It serves SONY right for teaming up with two a**holes.
Well Sony won’t make it’s money back from this movie. Some cinemas are not going to show it due to the threat. It could be an empty threat, but if it’s not, could you imagine? This movie should just go straight to video.
They have been bitching about this movie since the trailer came out. If they honestly had the power to pull off something 9/11-esque off, I think they would have done a lot more than simply release some f-ing emails.
I’m calling BS. I still plan on going to the theater on Christmas Day. Although, not for The Interview (cause that looks dumb). I’ll be seeing Into the Woods with family and friends.
That’s another thing: how is it that such an asinine-looking movie managed to secure a Christmas Day release date? Precedence has made me expect a certain type of film to be premiered in movie theatres on December 25 and The Interview does NOT look like that type of film.
It was weird – when Seth Rogen was on The Colbert Report the other night, he actually seemed nervous. His laugh was so odd – it wasn’t his normal laugh.
And I’m a big scaredy cat. I wasn’t planning on seeing this movie or any other one on Christmas, but, um, yeah, now I’m definitely not.
I noticed that too. The cancellations came right after so I wonder if he’d already heard of the threat? Usually he’s a fun enough interview but he seemed very off on Colbert.
Those cowardly hackers wanna make threats so the film won’t be shown at all?
I say show it on national television for FREE!
Sony can take the finacial hit and it would also show that the USA won’t bow down…we’ll just reach an even WIDER audience!!
(My idea SONY!! Lol!)
Unfortunately I understand the theaters’ concerns after the Colorado shooting. Liability. Although that was just a homegrown American piece of garbage and another example of why the modern interpretation of the 2nd amendment is insane and self-destructive and not a ” terrorist”…sorry, off soapbox.
This sets a hugely dangerous precedent. This movie needs to be seen and seen widely. What happens next time someone is upset about a movie containing a gay family? An interracial couple? A woman’s right to choose? This would be open season for the radicals. Not in theatres? Then get it out Video on Demand. I hate Franco and I will pay to view it.
Well said Mia. (Although I don’t hate The Franco) My family and I are very disappointed in this outcome. I hope there are some severe penalties for the hackers and whomever are behind them.
A cavelier spaniel! Awwwww!
Sony just pulled the plug on the release.
The Hackers won
Sad
Indeed. This is a black day for America and freedom.
Yeah…this film is dead and I semi-believe Rogen’s career is dead with it.
This is a new level of Hollywood bloodbath.
Databases hacked, dirty details spilled and reported on, employees planning a class-action lawsuit, prejudiced top heads exposed, terroristic threats on theaters and now the damn movie won’t make a cent…at least not for a while.
I think if the film seemed less shitty and the major players weren’t such douchebags (Pascal and such) I’d have more sympathy.
What a couple of morons, further enabled by a moronic outfit like Sony. What did they THINK would happen releasing a movie like this, about this type of subject? N. Korea is run by a sick paranoid psychopath who is watching our country extremely carefully. Don’t goad a country like that whose leaders have no value for human freedom or lives.
My impression is that the hacking has nothing directly to do with North Korea. To me, it looks like an insider thing, people who want to harm the Sony business. Could be an (former) employee of Sony, or someone from another production company. North Korea is just a good tag to start with. Because this film is, after all, a comedy, and it’s definitely not the first one to make fun of some dictator. I wonder about the use of the English language in the ‘warning message’, though- doesn’t seem to be a native speaker (or done on purpose)…
The DHS says that it was traced back to North Korea.
Sony has pulled Interview.
Be careful about automatically believing Homeland Security about anything. They have a broader agenda. There are people in and connected with the US government itching for an excuse to go to war yet again, which is far more profitable than a movie. North Korea is definitely in their sights, judging from various things said in the past few years especially. As one war winds down, the profiteers need another one to take its place. They also need to manipulate public opinion about the anticipated target. The potential profit is huge for a few.
Even if someone in North Korea were involved, I would seriously suspect that they were on the U.S. taxpayer’s payroll, it’s happened too many times before. Just takes a few people to make such things happen, no extensive conspiracy required.
This just in: Sony pulled “The Interview”. And US investigators have gone on the record that North Korea was behind the cyber attack on Sony.
I find it very ,very sad that we, the United States of America are bowing down to these terrorists from North korea. And yes. I said it. Of course this is all being done by north korea. I can’t say it better than denise the poster from above. This is the United States of America. We enjoy freedom of speech, which includes watching whatever silly, funny, stupid movie we want to make or see. So f**k off, North Korea.
Shitty movie or not, I am disappointed that Sony pulled this picture. Way to bow down to some cyber terrorists. Bad precedent all around.
Holy crap!! The terrorists won!
I am LITERALLY in tears right now!
What’s next??? Seriously! What’s next?
This is a HUGE mistake by TPTB!
This sets a VERY dangerous precedent!
You guys….I don’t post much here…..and post nowhere else…but I’m scared of what Sony pulling the film means for our country.
I guess there is not even freedom HERE!
They win.
We lose…..we lose SO much more than a movie… We lose our freedom of expression, our rights…
What’s next???
OMG Sony! Shame on you!
I was going to go see the movie EVEN IF there was a threat because I WILL NOT let anyone tell me what I can and cannot do…I’d rather be dead than be dictated to!
Sorry if I’m taking this too seriously.
I’m SO ANGRY and it’s hard to type through tears…..
Your freedom is not affected by this, not even a tiny bit, but if you let yourself believe that it is – then you are indeed letting other people control you. If you really want to see the film, you’ll find a way in the Internet Age. The whole script will probably show up online as well…
You are much more at risk of an unannounced terrorist attack by a homegrown loonie when you go to a movie theater or grocery store or school etc. But your chances of being hit by lightning are much much much higher. So try to put all this in perspective. People who live in other countries where terrorist attacks are actually far more common just go about their daily business anyway. That’s how to keep other people from controlling you.
Sony…. Show it on TV…for crissakes show it on TV!!!!! Gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! *cries for our lost freedom*
It looked like a crap movie that very few would want to see. Now everyone will want to see what the fuss is about. Does anyone think there’s a copy somewhere that could possibly go viral?