'The Interview' Movie Cast, Release Date & Trailer: Film Cancelled Due to Sony Hack

The Christmas theatrical release of the satirical film "The Interview" has been cancelled following the cyber-attack on Sony Pictures.

"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. We respect and understand our partners' decision and, of course, completely share their paramount interest in the safety of employees and theater-goers," Sony said in a statement cited by Entertainment Weekly.

"Sony Pictures has been the victim of an unprecedented criminal assault against our employees, our customers, and our business. Those who attacked us stole our intellectual property, private emails, and sensitive and proprietary material, and sought to destroy our spirit and our morale - all apparently to thwart the release of a movie they did not like. 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. We stand by our filmmakers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome," the statement added.

"The Interview" tells the story of two guys, portrayed by Seth Rogen and James Franco, who plan the assassination of the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un. Time reported that the movie has been denounced by the North Korean government, calling it an "act of war." Thus, it gained speculations that they may be the ones behind the attacks on Sony. The report also said that there have been threats to Sony not to release the said film. The North Korean government however has denied the allegations.

Meanwhile, a BBC News report cited a White House spokesman saying that the said attack can be considered as a "serious national security matter." The spokesperson said that the attack was made by a "sophisticated actor." He however did not confirm whether the speculations about North Korea were true.

A separate BBC News report said that even President Barack Obama acknowledged the seriousness of the attack. "We'll be vigilant - if we see something that we think is serious and credible, then we'll alert the public," he was quoted in the report as saying.

The same report also said that several actors have also be dismayed by the cancellation of the film. For one, Ben Stiller called the move "a threat to the freedom of expression." Steve Carell meanwhile tweeted, "Sad day for creative expression. #feareatsthesoul."

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel also took to Twitter to react to the cancellation. He described the cancellation as "an un-American act of cowardice that validates terrorist actions and sets a terrifying precedent."

Also related to the email hacks that happened in November, some of the information that was leaked was a series of emails between Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal and producer Scott Rudin wherein they talked about Obama's favorite movies, Time said. Another are the emails between Sony chief executive Kazuo Hirai and Pascal talking about "The Interview" movie.

BBC also said that another film called "Team America" which makes fun of the North Korean leader was also cancelled by Paramount Pictures. Paramount has not yet issued any statement regarding the issue.

Watch the movie's trailer here: