Unfortunately, it looks like Sony’s woes are far from over. A new wave of controversy surrounding political comedy The Interview has arrived this morning, in the wake of more demands from the cyber-terrorists responsible for the hack. After Sony Pictures Entertainment pulled the movie from theatrical release, the so-called Guardians Of Peace issued another message addressing the studio’s compliance (via CNN):
“Now we want you never let the movie released, distributed or leaked in any form of, for instance, DVD or piracy. We still have your private and sensitive data” and claims that they will “ensure the security of your data unless you make additional trouble. And we want everything related to the movie, including its trailers, as well as its full version down from any website hosting them immediately.”
This round of additional demands arrives after Sony released a newly-edited trailer of the film, brandishing the slogan “In Rogen and Franco we trust” along with a collection of clips. Since this new threat, the studio has removed all traces of the film from its official YouTube page.
Later this morning, the FBI released an official statement (via Deadline) concluding that their investigation had uncovered the source of the devastating cyber-hack on Sony. While not mentioning The Interview specifically, it addresses the heinous nature of the breach and that the North Korean government were behind the attack:
“As a result of our investigation, and in close collaboration with other U.S. Government departments and agencies, the FBI now has enough information to conclude that the North Korean government is responsible for these actions.”
“North Korea’s actions were intended to inflict significant harm on a U.S. business and suppress the right of American citizens to express themselves.”