So the hacker group known as the “Guardians of Peace” (GOP) threatened a 9/11-like attack on movie theaters that showed the Seth Rogen and James Franco comedy The Interview, which was to open on Christmas day, but has just been canceled altogether after the five major theater chains decided not to show it. Add to that, Fox decided not to move forward on a North Korean-set thriller from director Gore Verbinski with Steve Carell expect to star… and the GOP didn’t even have to ask for that to happen… What’s next? Will Paramount retroactively go back and wipe Team America: World Police from our collective conscience?
This sets a horrible precedent and as much as I can understand the thinking behind it, I can’t say it seems like a good idea unless Hollywood knows something we don’t.
With the decision that’s been made it seems the GOP can now ask for anything. What if the request had been a threat against any theater chain showing Marvel movies? Or what if they decided any movie starring Rogen, Franco or any of the actors seen in The Interview was an insult and any theater showing a movie starring any one of the actors in the movie would face danger?
I also wonder how much of this was Sony’s decision. Was pressure put on Sony by other studios who had movies opening on Christmas Day? I’m sure Warner Bros. was looking at the second weekend chances of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies with concern no one would go to a theater that was also showing The Interview, but what really was going to happen?
Am I not thinking straight? Have we just given our freedom over to a faceless organization? I’m less concerned with what these GOP hackers would ever do and more afraid of what any other cyber-terrorist organization is going to do now that the know just how easily people will give in.
https://twitter.com/tonyszhou/status/545382173877219328
https://twitter.com/SteveCarell/status/545382931137458176
