A group calling themselves “The Guardians of Peace,” better known online as the “Sony Hackers” after an enormous security breach that divulged massive amounts of personal and business information about Sony Pictures and their employees, has just threatened vague but seemingly violent action against theaters showing the new comedy The Interview. The film stars Seth Rogen and James Franco as Americans given an exclusive interview with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, who are then asked by the CIA to assassinate him. The storyline has been accused by some of being in poor taste, and by North Korea of being “an act of war.”
News outlets have been pouring over the information revealed by the Sony hackers, and have recently been threatened with legal action by Sony Pictures. But the news that various studio heads think little of Angelina Jolie, or that they were temporarily in talks to give the rights to Spider-Man back to Marvel Studios, has perhaps distracted from the fact that these perpetrators are committing criminal acts.
The message that the Sony Hackers are seemingly threatening actual violence against audiences and theaters showing The Interview on Christmas Day – as well as the film’s premiere – arrived on PasteBin (via Fusion), reportedly along with more information from the Sony hack that seems to corroborate the identity of the authors. It is expected to be taken seriously by Sony, although whether they would actually pull The Interview from theaters (giving the Sony Hackers exactly what they want) or opt instead to increase security at theaters screening the film is, as yet, unknown.
A “Christmas gift” was promised earlier by the Sony Hackers, one that would “put Sony Pictures into the worst state,” but it was originally assumed that the threat meant a leak of even more information or possibly The Interview itself, which would potentially damage the film’s theatrical grosses.
The new statement claims that “the world will be full of fear” and contains an explicit reference to the infamous terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. It also offers a warning to “keep yourself distant” from theaters showing The Interview, adding “If your house is nearby, you’d better leave.”
We are of course hoping that this is an empty threat. No movie – even a bad or arguably offensive one – is worth the damage that has already been done by the Sony Hackers, and especially not any physical violence towards audiences, theaters or the individuals responsible for the film’s production. (CraveOnline will publish our own review of The Interview soon, but suffice it to say, it is not worth all of this trouble.)
The new message from the Sony Hackers (via Fusion) reads as follows:
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.
