The Interview movie terror attack rumors: Sony hackers threat 'not credible', but James Franco and Seth Rogen cancel appearances
BOSTON -- U.S. security agencies are investigating a threat against theaters planning to show Sony Corp's controversial movie about an assassination of the leader of North Korea, and so far they have seen no real sign of an active plot, two U.S. officials said.
A hacking group published what appear to be more internal emails on Tuesday and promised a "bitter fate" for those who went to see the movie, "The Interview" following a cyber attack that severely damaged movie studio's network.
An official at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and another U.S. security official cast doubt on the threat.
"At this time there is no credible intelligence to indicate an active plot against movie theaters within the United States," the DHS official said. The hackers, known as the Guardians of Peace, threatened that the scale of attacks would be like Sept. 11 if Sony goes forward with the Dec. 25 premiere.
"The world will be full of fear," the message from the hackers reads. "Remember the 11th of September 2001. We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time. (If your house is nearby, you'd better leave.) Whatever comes in the coming days is called by the greed of Sony Pictures Entertainment."
James Franco and Seth Rogen, who star in the film as two goofy journalists enlisted by the CIA to assassinate North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, have since canceled almost all press appearances. The duo were scheduled to appear on "Late Night With Seth Myers," "The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon" and other interviews.
Franco and Rogen are still scheduled to appear at the New York screening of "The Interview" Thursday.
Sony is already reeling from the disclosures in documents released by the hackers, which have publicly exposed internal discussions important to the company's future. Sony has decided not to release "The Interview" to theaters in Japan, where the company is based.