Sony Hackers Hint Terror Attack On Theatres Screening ‘The Interview,” Seth Rogen & James Franco Cancel Appearances

Sony hackers warned people against watching "The Interview" while hinting 9/11-like attacks on theatres showing the movie. The most recent move by the hackers is likely to hint a connection between the Sony Pictures Entertainment cyber-attack and North Korea once again.

The hackers released their "Christmas Gift" as promised earlier. The latest leaked document is named after SPE CEO Michael Lynton. The "Guardians of Peace" made explicit reference to the 9/11 terror attack on the United States. "Remember the 11th of September 2001," Variety quoted the message, "We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time. (If your house is nearby, you'd better leave.)" The message also blamed it on Sony's "greed" which was apparently responsible for what would happen to the viewers. The message which apparently hinted a terror attack on the theatres showing "The Interview" substantially increased the stakes for the release of the movie.

Actors Seth Rogen and James Franco, in the meantime, cancelled all press appearances after the hackers had hinted a terror plot. Rogen's rep confirmed the cancellation, ABC News reported. The Department of Homeland Security, on the other hand, said that there was no "credible intelligence" to back up the threat. However, an official confirmed that the department was "aware" of the threat and was in the process of analysing the "credibility" of the statement. The premiere of the movie is planned to take place at Sunshine Cinema. According to reports, the premiere has been scaled down after the threat.

It was earlier speculated that the cyber-attack on Sony was in retaliation for its movie "The Interview." The comedy deals with an assassination attempt on Kim Jong-un, the supreme leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea aka North Korea. Even though North Korea expressed its unhappiness over the plot of the movie, it denied having any involvement with the cyber-attack. The movie, scheduled to release on Christmas, also has a graphic death scene of Jong-un that has been leaked during the hacking attack. Gawker, which earlier shared the leaked copyrighted scene, said that the clip was evidence why North Korea had been suspected by some to be responsible for the cyber-attack.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au