George R. R. Martin Calls Out “Corporate Cowardice” of Sony Canceling The Interview

A Song of Ice and Fire author (and movie theater owner) George R. R. Martin is not happy about Sony’s decision to suppress the James Franco and Seth Rogan film The Interview in the wake of the Sony hack. Martin took to his livejournal to denounce the “corporate cowardice” of Sony and the major movie theater chains allowing anonymous threats cancel the release of a film:

In a stunning display of corporate cowardice, Regal, AMC, and every other major theatre chain in the United States have cancelled their plans to show the new Seth Rogen/ James Franco comedy THE INTERVIEW, because of — yes, seriously, this is not a SOUTH PARK sketch (though I expect it soon will be) — threats from North Korea.

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I mean, really? REALLY?? These gigantic corporations, most of which could buy North Korea with pocket change, are declining to show a film because Kim Jong-Un objects to being mocked?

The level of corporate cowardice here astonishes me. It’s a good thing these guys weren’t around when Charlie Chaplin made THE GREAT DICTATOR. If Kim Jong-Un scares them, Adolf Hitler would have had them shitting in their smallclothes.

Martin went on to say that the theater he owns, the Jean Cocteau Cinema in Santa Fe, will gladly screen the film “assuming that Sony does eventually release the film for theatrical exhibition, rather than streaming it or dumping it as a direct-to-DVD release.” (Although if Sony continues to meet the hackers demands, not even those last two options will be possible.) In a follow-up post, Martin notes that several theaters who planned to show Team America: World Police can’t because Paramount has pulled the film — which also mocks the North Korean government — from exhibition. “Where does it end?” Martin asks.