The federal government has confirmed that it was North Korea who was behind the hacking of Sony, and made a terrorist threat on Americans
- Sony has pulled the cinema release of The Interview after hackers threatened 9/11-like terror attacks on theaters showing the movie
- A spokesperson from Sony has also revealed that the studio 'has no further release plans for the film'
- Decision came hours after the five largest theater chains in North America announced that they were pulling out of showing it
- Studio said it was 'deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppress the distribution of a movie, and in the process do damage to our company'
The federal government confirmed on Wednesday that North Korea was behind the massive hack that saw the release of thousands of internal emails from Sony over the past two weeks.
This as Sony Pictures Entertainment pulled the planned Christmas Day release of The Interview after hackers threatened 9/11-like terror attacks on cinemas showing its North Korea comedy.
What's more, the film may never be released at all.
'Sony Pictures has no further release plans for the film,' said a spokesperson for the studio Wednesday evening.
This despite the fact that the film cost $42million to make and tens of millions to market.
Almost immediately, many in Hollywood voiced their concern, with writer Aaron Sorkin saying how upset he was that 'the U.S. succumbed to an unprecedented attack on our most cherished, bedrock principle of free speech by a group of North Korean terrorists,' and director Judd Apatow explaining the many problems this means for films moving forward.
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Coming down: Sony Pictures Entertainment has pulled the planned Christmas release of The Interview after hackers threatened 9/11-like terror attacks on cinemas showing the Sony Pictures film
Sony has said it stands by the film makers of The Interview, a comedy about two journalists - James Franco and Seth Rogen - recruited by the CIA to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
'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,' Sony said in a statement.
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'U.S. investigators have determined the attacks against Sony was the work of hackers working on behalf of the North Korean government,' reported CNN Justice Correspondent Evan Perez.
He then added that government officials believe that there is no way this attack could have been carried out unless it came from the top.
Authorities are also looking into whether or not someone inside Sony helped the hackers.
The fact that this hack turned from the releasing of private emails into a terrorist threat that compromised, as one official told the New York Times, the 'safety of Americans,' make this the worst cyber-attack to happen on American soil.
It is still not clear how officials were able to determine that it was North Korea behind the attack, though it has been revealed that some of the hackers' coding was in Korean.
The government is expected to address this situation on Thursday, and decide whether or not to accuse North Korea of officially committing the terrorist attack.
In an interview that aired on ABC Wednesday, President Obama said of the threats, 'My recommendation would be that people go to the movies.'
Terrorists: In North Koea on Wednesday, Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol-ju remembered the three year anniversary of the death of Kim Jong-il
Many in Hollywood are not happy with the decision to cancel the film, and took to Twitter to express their frustration and anger.
'Wow. Everyone caved. The hackers won. An utter and complete victory for them. Wow,' wrote Rob Lowe.
He later added; 'Saw @SethRogen at JFK. Both of us have never seen or heard of anything like this. Hollywood has done Neville Chamberlain proud today.
Zach Braff also weighed in, writing; 'Canceling "The Interview" seems like a pretty horrible precedent to set.'
Aaron Sorkin, who was the subject of many of the emails released in the hack, also spoke about Sony's decision.
'Today the U.S. succumbed to an unprecedented attack on our most cherished, bedrock principle of free speech by a group of North Korean terrorists who threatened to kill moviegoers in order to stop the release of a movie,' he said in a statement.
'The wishes of the terrorists were fulfilled in part by easily distracted members of the American press who chose gossip and schadenfreude-fueled reporting over a story with immeasurable consequences for the public–a story that was developing right in front of their eyes. My deepest sympathies go out to Sony Pictures, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and everyone who worked on The Interview.'
Weighing in: Writer Aaron Sorkin (above with Sony studio head Amy Pascal) said in a statement, 'The U.S. succumbed to an unprecedented attack on our most cherished, bedrock principle of free speech'
Dark future: Director Judd Apatow (above) said in an interview the movie to not release the movie will have a horrible impact on the film industry
Not happy: 'Everyone caved. The hackers won. An utter and complete victory for them,' said Rob Lowe (above) on Twitter
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, director Judd Apatow voiced his concern about where the film industry goes from here.
'What do they do when someone says the same thing about the James Bond movie or Annie?' he asked.
'There may be credible evidence of imminent violence that I don’t know about. But if they don’t really have that information, how many movies are they willing not to release?
'Our community is based on freedom of expression. Are we going to suppress ourselves every time someone posts something online? It’s a dark future.'
Steve Carrell kept it brief, saying on Twitter, 'Sad day for creative expression.'
Carrell also suffered a loss today as a film he was working on about North Korea, Pyongyang, will no longer be made.
Amy Schumer also kept it brief, and vulgar, writing; 'No bulls*it though, this is seriously fuc*ed and it's such a sad day for free speech. Frightening.'
Stephen King compared the entire thing to censorship; 'Sony's decision to pull THE INTERVIEW is unsettling in so many ways. Good thing they didn't publish THE SATANIC VERSES.'
Regal, AMC, Cinemark, Cineplex and Carmike, who between operate more than half of the country's 40,000 cinemas, had announced earlier on Wednesday that they wouldn't be showing the movie.
In a statement, Regal said it was delaying any showings of The Interview because of 'the ambiguous nature of any real or perceived security threats.'
The statement from Regal's vice president of marketing and communications also pointed the finger of blame at Sony and its 'wavering support' for the movie.
Sony had told exhibitors on Tuesday that the company understood if they pulled the film in light of the threats.
'Due to the wavering support of the film The Interview by Sony Pictures, as well as the ambiguous nature of any real or perceived security threats, Regal Entertainment Group has decided to delay the opening of the film in our theaters,' said Regal's Russ Nunley.
Cineplex, which also has more than a 75 percent market share in Canada with 161 theaters and 1,639 screens, also released a statement on Wednesday.
The famed Alamo Drafthouse theaters in Texas, who said after Sony's announcement on Wednesday that they still had every intention of showing the film despite the threats, announced they would be playing another movie that mocked the North Korean leader in its place - Team America: World Police.
'We're just trying to make the best of an unfortunate situation,' creative manager and programmer James Wallace told The Hollywood Reporter.
Extra precaution: James Franco was spotted in NYC on Tuesday night with his new giant bodyguard after GOP issued a chilling new threat warning of 9/11-style attacks on movie theaters that show The Interview
'Cineplex takes seriously its commitment to the freedom of artistic expression, but we want to reassure our guests and staff that their safety and security is our No. 1 priority,' said a Cineplex spokesperson.
Carmike Cinemas, which operates 247 theaters across the country, was the first to cancel its planned showings of the film on Tuesday.
The fallout from the Sony Pictures Entertainment hack that began four weeks ago exploded on Tuesday after the shadowy group calling themselves Guardians of Peace escalated their attack beyond corporate espionage and threatened moviegoers with violence reminiscent of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
The seriousness of the threat made Tuesday in messages posted online by the hacking group that calls itself Guardians of the Peace, is unclear.
The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday there was 'no credible intelligence to indicate an active plot against movie theaters,' but noted it was still analyzing messages from the group.
A NYPD vehicle outside the Sunshine Cinema in New York. It was supposed to be showing the New York premiere of The Interview on Thursday, but the event has been canceled
The warning did prompt law enforcement in New York and Los Angeles to address measures to ramp up security and Thursday's New York premiere at the Landmark Sunshine was canceled as a result.
The FBI is investigating the identity of the hackers, but suspicion has centered on North Korea, which previously issued warnings over The Interview.
Sony did not say what its plans for The Interview now are, or whether the film's release could potentially happen at a later date.
Conjecture has centered on the possibility of an unprecedented on-demand release that would distribute the film without risk to theater operators.
No wide-release studio film has ever been first released on VOD, out of protection of the theater business.
The Interview star's Rogen and Franco as television journalists involved in a CIA plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Speculation about a North Korean link to the Sony hacking has centered on that country's angry denunciation of the film.
Trouble: Hacking group Guardians of Peace had said n Tuesday that a terrorist attack could befall any theaters showing The Interview, which stars James Franco and Seth Rogen (above)
Over the summer, North Korea warned that the film's release would be an 'act of war that we will never tolerate.' It said the U.S. will face 'merciless' retaliation.
The film had been slated to hit theaters nationwide on Christmas Day. But on Tuesday, Rogen and Franco pulled out of all media appearances, canceling a Buzzfeed Q&A and Rogen's planned guest spot Thursday on Late Night With Seth Meyers.
The FBI said it is aware of the GOP's threats and 'continues to work collaboratively with our partners to investigate this matter.' FBI director James Comey last week said that investigators are still trying to determine who is responsible for the hack.
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said his department takes the hackers' threats 'very seriously' and will be taking extra precautions during the holidays at theaters.
Hollywood studio Sony Pictures said on Tuesday that it was not pulling the film, but is leaving it to theater chains to decide whether to show the movie, which depicts a fictional plot to assassinate North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un.
Security outside the Theatre at Ace Hotel before last Thursday's L.A. The company may now release the movie via premium video-on-demand instead
'We plan to release the film,' said a source at Sony, which is dealing with fallout from an enormous cyber-attack last month.
The source added that a decision whether to show the film 'is with theater owners, partners whom we support.'
GOP also released a trove of data files including 32,000 emails to and from Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton in what it called the beginning of a 'Christmas gift.'
And two former Sony film production workers filed lawsuits alleging the Culver City, California company waited too long to notify nearly 50,000 employees that data such as Social Security numbers, salaries and medical records had been stolen.
The filing follows another lawsuit this week from two other former Sony employees accusing the studio of being negligent by not bolstering its defenses against hackers before the attack.
It claims emails and other leaked information show that Sony's information-technology department and its top lawyer believed its security system was vulnerable to attack, but that company did not act on those warnings.
Sony potentially faces tens of millions of dollars in damages from a class-action lawsuit, said Jonathan Handel, an entertainment law professor at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.
Since the hack surfaced late last month, everything from financial figures to salacious emails between top Sony executives has been dumped online.
The nearly 32,000 emails to and from Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Lynton leaked on Tuesday include information about casting decisions and total costs for upcoming films, release schedules for Sony films through 2018 and corporate financial records, such as royalties from iTunes, Spotify and Pandora music services.
They include information about new electronics devices such as DVD players and cellphones. They also include budget figures for the Motion Picture Association of America, of which Sony is a member, and at least one email about a senior Sony executive who left the company.
Hackers invoked the 9/11 attacks in their most chilling threat yet against Sony Pictures, warning the Hollywood studio not to release a film which has angered North Korea
The emails also include banal messages about public appearances, tennis matches, home repairs, dinner invitations and business introductions.
On Monday, Sony Pictures boss Michael Lynton sought to reassure employees that the studio would not be destroyed by the leaks.
'This will not take us down,' Lynton told employees, adding: 'You should not be worried about the future of this studio.'
North Korea has denied involvement in the brazen November 24 cyber-attack, which some expert said could possibly have been carried out by disgruntled workers or by supporters of North Korea furious over the movie.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2878233/The-Interview-release-cancelled-majority-theaters-chose-not-show.html#ixzz3MEGWaOC6
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