The New York premiere of the North Korea-themed comedy The Interview, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco, has been cancelled amid warnings of a 9/11-style terror attack from the group responsible for the Sony hackings.
The group, which calls itself Guardians of Peace (GOP), released a statement online on Tuesday, Dec. 16, warning moviegoers to avoid the film and for people who reside close to the movie theaters to leave their homes.
Although Sony itself didn't cancel the event, it gave theaters their blessing to cancel screenings of the satirical comedy starring Rogen and Franco as TV journalists recruited by the CIA to assassinate Kim John Un, North Korea's leader.
The premiere, which was scheduled to take place on Thursday, Dec. 18 at the Sunshine Cinema on Manhattan's Lower East Side, was canceled by Landmark, the company who owns the theater, late on Tuesday, Dec. 16.
Rogen and Franco, clearly shaken by the threat, cancelled their upcoming media interviews about the film yesterday. The two were scheduled to appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, and Late Night with Seth Meyers. A source told Us Weekly, "They're genuinely worried. They're going to lay low. Nobody knows who is behind it truly and it's not worth the risk."
The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement, also on Tuesday, saying there was “no credible intelligence to indicate an active plot against movie theaters.” However Rogen told KROQ's Kevin and Bean show via telephone that he was looking forward to the whole situation being over.
"I'm just going to go and try not to think about any of this stuff for a few days," he said, of life post-press tour. "I've been playing mental acrobatics. It's a very funny movie and amidst all the stuff surrounding it, it's just a comedy. Its prime goal was not to be controversial."
