Yesterday Sony made the decision to pull The Interview from release in the wake of terror threats against moviegoers stemming from the Guardians of Peace hack into the studio a couple of weeks back, and now the effects are starting to be felt around Hollywood.
No doubt fearing a repeat of the Sony incident, New Regency has decided to scrap an untitled North Korea-based thriller from director Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lone Ranger), which he was developing as a vehicle for Steve Carell (Foxcatcher).
Reacting to the decision, Verbinski posted the following statement about the project, which he said was to be entitled Pyongyang:
Getting the facts straight:
Yesterday, I was told by New Regency and Fox that Fox will no longer be distributing the film. Prior to that, the film was green lit and fully funded by New Regency with Fox distributing. I have been told in no uncertain words that based on the situation at Sony, Fox has now decided to not distribute the film. Without a distributor, New Regency was forced to shut the film down.
My thoughts:
I find it ironic that fear is eliminating the possibility to tell stories that depict our ability to overcome fear.
Gore Verbinski
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZqEqJ-QNmio&list=PL18yMRIfoszH_jfuJoo8HCG1-lGjvfH2F
Originally published December 18, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
