Aaron Sorkin, one of the most vocal parties in the ongoing Sony hack attack, has weighed in after Sony announced it has scrapped a Christmas theatrical run for The Interview after theater chains rejected the movie over threats of possible violence in theaters. Sorkin echoes the sentiments of many in Hollywood, that this is a sad day for America. But he lays the blame at the feet of media outlets that helped empower the cyber-terrorists.
Said Sorkin: “Today the U.S. succumbed to an unprecedented attack on our most cherished, bedrock principle of free speech by a group of North Korean terrorists who threatened to kill moviegoers in order to stop the release of a movie. The wishes of the terrorists were fulfilled in part by easily distracted members of the American press who chose gossip and schadenfreude-fueled reporting over a story with immeasurable consequences for the public–a story that was developing right in front of their eyes. My deepest sympathies go out to Sony Pictures, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and everyone who worked on The Interview.”
Go away, Blowhard. You’re making patriotic Americans sympathize with North Korea.
Oh, God (whom I don’t believe in). Anybody who uses the word “patriot” in a comment (or as a username) automatically gets rightfully dismissed by sane people as a bitter, whiny nutgoon which proves Aaron’s point.
He got this right. This is a sad day. The free press contributing to the demise of the free press. Like a hungry cannibal eating off its own arms, rendering it unable to kill any more prey.
Pure class. Thank you Mr Sorkin. Maybe you can use this to continue Newsroom?!
As always succinct, eloquent and dead on. We ALL lost today. Well except the Lawyers, of course. Sad state of affairs.
Lord knows that I’m not a fan of Aaron Sorkin. But I 100% disagree. Cancelling this movie is simply caving in to the demands of terrorists. It’s simply un-American.
I meant to say 100% agree! /facepalm
Free speech is alive and well in America. The US has not outlawed the showing of The Interview, while the media and individuals remain free to express their opinions in any way they see fit. Entertainment companies have decided it is not in their best interest to play the film amid all of the current controversy and threats. Yes, the terrorists got what they wanted in this case, but not because the US has succumbed to anything. The free market made a market decision.
Bet Will McAvoy would have really nailed this story a year from now, really narrowing in on the issues of First Amendment Rights protection while avoiding the pitfalls of gossip. How does McAvoy do it?! The guy is a prescient genius. That’s how.
let’s face it, this movie should never have been conceived, approve, finance, were made. I don’t care who brought it to Sony pictures it was a really awful idea for a movie. They should have known something like this would happen. Yes, they got away with it him team America back in the day but that was all with Puppets.
If I was an executive at Sony pictures and have the power to give Uay or nay, I can tell you right now, this movie would never have been made under my watch.
He’s absolutely right. The whole thing is ludicrous. Let’s pray that a pandora’s box didn’t get opened this afternoon. Would they have pulled Zero Dark Thirty under he same circumstances?? Where’s Chuck Norris when you need him?????
Who’s free speech? No writer or director has creative control unless they fund every penny themselves. The bottom line is Hollywood Studios work for governments now, it is not about making money or promoting art or free speech. L.A. based studios are like VOA but they don’t just work for one government. If you work there you are working in a propaganda division, working on a war in a battle of information. The question is what government are you working for?
The US succumbed? This wasn’t between Terrorists and the USA, this was between terrorists and SONY.
America and its leaders didn’t start this fight. Sony did, its leaders. They did it to make money.
Our country gives artists the freedom to say whatever they want, however inflammatory. But it is not our responsibility to clean up the reprecussions of what the artists said. It’s not our government’s or our people’s job to step in and defend a Japanese company that starts a fight with North Korea. It it not our theater owners responsibility to take risks for the fight Sony started.
If our government had stepped in and said: ‘don’t show this movie’ then yes — this would be about freedom of speech. That’s not what happened. A Japanese company made a hit piece about a dangerous foreign country, and the foreign country fought back and WON (to the tune of a few billion dollars.)
Yes, American brain-power made this event happen — but we shouldn’t be proud of that. We should be embarrassed.
This is so stupid. Let’s be very clear here – Sony did this. They made an inflammatory movie and then got caught with their pants down, the domino effect of which has made our entire industry look like cowardly nitwits. Sony should be apologizing to us for opening this can of worms and then being completely unable to defend itself and the industry. We’re all going to take fallout from this and all because they didn’t install fucking Norton Disk Doctor.
It’s funny that the most outspoken guy in all this was the one busted at the airport with the bags of crack and mushrooms.
The truth of the matter here was that it was DUMB of the Sony management to greenlight this. If it was an indie or a Funny or Die thing it could have worked great but a Japanese corporation putting nearly 100m into this concept was inviting trouble. Rogen and Goldberg deserve free speech but where Sony failed them was in realistically assessing the politics of this. I too feel bad for the filmmakers but Sony needs to change regimes and re-invent that company.
who is that person, sorry for my ignorance?
Though Sorkin has certainly admitted to smoking crack, he was busted at Burbank airport for mushrooms only. More importantly, what does a 13-year old drug arrest have to do with the principles of free speech? One has absolutely nothing to do with the other, so thank you for disqualifying yourself from having any meaningful input here,
Who cares if Sorkin was caught with drugs? What does that have to do with anything? His personal choices to indulge somehow make it “funny” that he is the one speaking up? I don’t follow your logic by any means.
I do however agree that it is dumb for Sony to have greenlit the project. Although I do want to see the film now more than ever.
Hopefully I’ll get to see it on some of those godforesaken drugs though.
Amen.
And he is correct.
Sony, and the movie theatre companies, have shown that they are little more than cowardly little bitches who will break at the slightest threat. They’ve allow NK to export the same sort of control (threats of violence) that they foist upon their own people the US now.
Could not agree more.., how sad.
I’m kinda done with Sorkin.
He’s right…by the way, where was he when Sarah Palin and George Bush were hacked? Oh that’s right, he hates them.
Most sane people do.
What an idiot! Snort some more coke you jackass. If you believe so much in “freedom of speech” then join the military and fight for it. It’s really easy to sit in your Hollywood mansion and type on your computer about how people should be willing to sacrifice their life so that Sony can make a crappy movie of ill-taste. If a high school kid made a comedy movie about killing their principal, the kid would go to jail. Sony made a terrible call in greenlighting this movie and anyone who doesn’t see this has no respect for other country’s leadership. I have lost all respect for these pompous Hollywood ego maniacs. It’s very easy to scream “War!” when no one you know will ever have to fight in it!
I see that North Korean’s social media campaign is still in full swing. It’s funny that your arguments are: (1) a missive against “freedom of speech” — and particularly that only people in the military should have it, and (2) demand respect for North Korea’s leadership.
Freedom of speech is not just for members of the military. And respect for Mr. Kim (who has won this round), is just not going to happen.
Exactly. Even in a country of free speech, you can’t yell “Fire!” in a crowded auditorium. Given the precarious relationship between the U.S. and North Korea (a nuclear power with an unstable leader), that is exactly what Sony did. And they did it for a stupid film that one of Sony’s own execs called “relentlessly UNfunny.”
There is nothing analogous between the heckler’s veto and the inciting panic in a crowded, darkened theater by yelling “fire”. This incident is plainly the former and not the latter.
God, I hope you’re not a screenwriter, but if you are, it would explain a lot about cinema the last 30-years.
You realize N. Korea can wipe Japan (SONY’s home) off the map when ever they wish, and that WOULD be on the table if this movie released right?
Agreed! Sorkin an arrogant, entitled, egotistical Hollywood imbecile. I wanna shout at the TV, “Who asked you, Sorkin?” Try writing a script where people sound like people and not computers, and let Sony handle this themselves. They made their bed (and from word on the street, a LOUSY movie). They will take care of it, they don’t need SORKIN and his faux support of the freedom of speech! Grrrr….
Who Aaron sorkin just gave his permission
for ANYONE to USE HIS NAME AND LIKENESS as a CHARACTER in a movie or tv show. !!!!!
Thanks people love stealing peoples identities and using it ILLEGALLY in a movie or tv show. It will make it a big hit.
Titled.
AARON SORKIN writes a movie script.
Thanks Aaron!!!!!!!!!!
If theaters had screened this film and people in attendance had been injured as a result, how quickly do you think the victims would have filed suit, claiming the theatre knew, or should have known, there was a risk?
What was the press going to do exactly, Aaron? Crack the case Encyclopedia Brown style and bring North Korea to justice?
Paramount released “Team America” in 2005. This movie took on Islamic terrorists as well as North Korea. At least someone had some guts in Hollywood.
It’s really sad to see so many people misunderstand the concept of freedom of speech. And just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.
But the Edward Snowden material was ok, right? Good grief.