UPDATE: The attack against Sony Pictures Entertainment was ordered by the North Korean government, according to Deadline. An announcement from the US Department of Justice is expected to confirm this news with an announcement as early as tomorrow morning.
ORIGINAL: With the nation’s largest theater chains electing to drop the film from their release schedules, Sony has now made the decision to cancel the December 25th release of The Interview.
The news comes just one day after an anonymous threat was levied against the studio and any theater which opted to screen the film, and just hours after AMC, Regal Entertainment, and other theater chains confirmed they would not be screening the film. The Interview, which stars James Franco and Seth Rogen as a pair of late night television show hosts tasked with assassinating North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un, has been the subject of controversy since the release of its first trailer, after which the North Korean government declared the film’s release as “an act of war.”
While Sony had reportedly been considering releasing the film on VOD platforms, it looks like that idea has now been scrapped. Here’s the full statement from the studio:
“In light of the decision by the majority of our exhibitors not to show the film The Interview, we have decided not to move forward with the planned December 25 theatrical release. We respect and understand our partners’ decision and, of course, completely share their paramount interest in the safety of employees and theater-goers.
Sony Pictures has been the victim of an unprecedented criminal assault against our employees, our customers, and our business. Those who attacked us stole our intellectual property, private emails, and sensitive and proprietary material, and sought to destroy our spirit and our morale – all apparently to thwart the release of a movie they did not like. We are deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppress the distribution of a movie, and in the process do damage to our company, our employees, and the American public. We stand by our filmmakers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome.”
No word on when – or if – The Interview will be released.
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