Sony Has Canceled Theatrical Release of ‘The Interview’ Following Terrorism Threats [Updated]
"Time to re-write the old resume."
Following a terrorism death threat promising a 9/11-like event on Christmas Day at screenings of
The Interview, a few major U.S. theater chains decided not to show the film in their theaters nationwide. Now, things are just getting worse and worse for Sony.
As reported by
Entertainment Weekly, the company has chosen not to release the movie at all on its intended Christmas Day release date, after a threat claiming to be from hacker group Guardians of Peace.
“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,” Sony said in a statement. “We stand by our filmmakers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome."
The film follows the events of a talk show host (James Franco) and his friend (Seth Rogan) and their attempts to assassinate Kim Jong-un after they are invited to visit North Korea.
Rumors of a possible VOD release option have
begun swirling following the egress of major theater chains like AMC and Regal, but no news yet on whether or not it will happen.
We will keep you updated as more news emerges.
Update: Variety has
reported that a Sony spokesperson claims there are "no further release plans for the film," including VOD or even DVD, at this time.