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Sony Adds Another Paul W. Downs/Lucia Aniello Movie To Their Development Slate

June 23, 2015
Uncategorized
lucia aniello, paul w downs, sony pictures

(via Variety)

Sony Pictures is really getting into the Paulilu business.

Already, Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello are developing a female spin-off of 21 Jump Street. Now, Downs is set to star in a new R-rated comedy directed by Aniello that they wrote together. 

Details on the story are scarce, but it looks like you should expect a crazy weekend that has gone terribly wrong involving some form of being incapacitated. 

Following from The Duplass Brothers and Chris Miller and Phil Lord, Looks like another power comedy writing duo is on the rise. 

Kelly Oxford Sells Pitch to Sony Pictures/Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s Point Grey Pictures

March 21, 2015
Uncategorized
evan goldberg, kelly oxford, point grey pictures, seth rogen, sony pictures, teen sex comedy

(via The Wrap)

Despite what happened at the tail end of 2014 and lasted through the January of 2015 with The Interview, Sony and Seth Rogen/Evan Goldberg are still in business. 

Their latest move has less to do, as far as we can tell, with geopolitics and more writer Kelly Oxford.

Sony Pictures has bought a pitch for a teen sex comedy from Oxford that will be produced under Rogen and Goldberg’s Point Grey Pictures banner. In reading Oxford’s acclaimed Twitter account or her book Everything Is Perfect When You’re a Liar, we think that she’s got something up her sleeve besides your typical teen sex comedy fare.

Sony Pictures Has Hired Diablo Cody to Rewrite a Live Action “Barbie” Movie

March 5, 2015
Uncategorized
barbie, diablo cody, sony pictures

(via Deadline)

There has been a movie in the works at Sony Pictures adapting the long standing “Barbie” toy franchise into a movie. With the success that The LEGO Movie has had, there seems to be a shift in having an unconventional and new spin on what a movie based on Barbie could be. 

So, Sony has tapped Diablo Cody to write a draft. While we wouldn’t be surprised at all that many of you reading this are, at the very least, skeptical, we were all this skeptical about a movie about LEGOs being made. Given Cody’s resume, her version of a Barbie movie could be fun ride, especially as a comedy rather than the typical light adventure that most toy based movies go on, but we’ll see if Sony sticks with her and what rating they’ll aim for.

Why the Release of “The Interview” Is Historic and We Wish That Armando Ianucci Would Make a Movie or Something About It

December 26, 2014
Uncategorized
sony pictures, the interview

Watching a movie is one of the weirder acts of patriotism that’s ever existed in this country. It almost defies logic in terms of the action itself not requiring much effort beyond sitting and watching for 2 hours. 

Yet, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s The Interview and all the circumstances surrounding its release made watching a movie with a bunch of dick jokes into an act of standing up for freedom of speech that will probably go down in U.S. History textbooks in the not so distant future. Ironically, there are probably very few parts of the film that would be shown in most classrooms.

Before we go further, here’s a quick summary of how a Rogen/Goldberg picture became an international incident:

–Based off of threats against screening The Interview as well as the massive hack of Sony Pictures from the hackers known as The Guardians of Peace (that have been linked to the North Korean government), Sony Pictures and major U.S. theater chains couldn’t come to terms with dealing with a potential security risk from screening it.

-The Interview was then pulled from theaters for its Christmas Day release and Sony had made no other plans to release it otherwise.

-Hundreds of independent theaters and small theater chains gathered together to tell Sony Pictures that they would screen the movie and Sony finally opted to release the movie on its original Christmas Day release date as well as put it on VOD via YouTube, Google Play, and Xbox Video.

–President Obama and The White House have even been involved extensively throughout the whole incident saying that Sony made a mistake by not releasing that and subsequently being glad that it did get released as originally planned. Obama has even stated that there will be a proportionate response to the hack of Sony Pictures.

There are plenty of films that you can cite for causing controversy throughout the cinematic canon. Whether it be the explicit nature of Salo or even Ridley Scott’s latest Exodus: Gods and Kings just getting banned in Egypt, it’s extremely rare for a single movie to have political implications that stem far beyond the actual release of the movie itself. 

Knowing that, it’s even more unbelievable that The Interview will know be put up as one of the most controversial movies of all time by virtue of the fact that an entire corporation had all their information leaked and brought about “9/11 style threats”. All the other films on that list have much more incendiary content and are probably much more upsetting to watch, but either just got banned by a country or protested by various interest or religious groups.

We saw The Interview last night, enjoyed it, and found a whole new layer of humor just off the idea that anyone would be so mad at watching any of this that they would hack entire an corporation and risk the anger of a superpower just to stop it. One scene has Seth Rogen shakes his dick at North Korean guards and the term “honeydicking” is used profusely throughout the film’s duration. 

Yes, there’s an on-screen death of Kim Jong-Un depicted in the film and there are scenes that could be deemed “culturally insensitive”, but none of it seemed to be even close to the ire drawn by other historically controversial films like Triumph of the Will or Birth of a Nation. The Interview is an amped-up, rambunctious satire that more belongs in the same sentence with Team America: World Police. 

So far, the threats of anything happening to people watching The Interview have been empty. Many screenings on Christmas Day were sold out and it has reached the top of the charts for VOD where it’s available.

This incident is an unprecedented intersection of comedy and geopolitics and is, as we said before, history in the making. If Argo was a movie about the CIA making a movie to avoid an international incident, then the making and release of The Interview should most certainly be a movie. Hopefully, if that happens, and with any luck, Armando Ianucci, the man who marries politics and comedy perfectly in Veep, In The Loop, and The Thick of It, would be at the helm. 

Obama Says Sony Made a Mistake Canceling The Release of “The Interview”

December 19, 2014
Uncategorized
barack obama, sony pictures, the interview

(via Deadline)

At President Barack Obama’s Annual Year-End News Conference, Obama commented on the Sony hack and their subsequent cancellation of releasing The Interview: 

“Sony is a corporation. It suffered significant damage, threats against some employees. I am sympathetic to the concerns they faced. Having said that, yes I think they made a mistake.”

As the FBI has just named North Korea officially responsible for ordering the hack, Obama stressed the importance of not bending to the will of an entire government that merely doesn’t like being portrayed poorly:

We cannot have a society in which some dictator someplace can start imposing censorship here in the United States. Because if somebody is able to intimidate folks out of releasing a satirical movie, imagine what they start doing when they see a documentary that they don’t like, or a news report that they don’t like, or, even worse, imagine if producers and distributors and others start engaging in self-censorship because they don’t want to offend the sensibilities of somebody whose sensibilities probably need to be offended. That’s not who we are. That’s not what America is about.

Also, Obama stated that the United States “will respond proportionately at a time and place we choose”. There are most surely plenty of despicable things to be found the e-mails of the North Korean government and their own national cinema probably doesn’t even come close to pulling off a movie that’s anything like The Interview. 

What would a proportionate response be? Maybe hack their air waves and broadcast The Interview on every North Korean television on repeat? A whole load of satirical movies on Kim Jong-Un and North Korea?

Sony Pictures Not Releasing “The Interview” in Any Format

December 18, 2014
Uncategorized
north korea, sony pictures, the interview

(via Variety)

It’s probably overload on all of your news and social media feeds to read about how The Interview has been taken out of theaters for its originally scheduled release on Christmas. We just posted about it a few hours ago.

Well, we felt it prudent to give one more update as Sony Pictures has nixed releasing the entire movie altogether. No VOD or DVD release will be coming in the future. That’s over $50 million from the production and marketing budget specifically spent all for naught by Sony Pictures on The Interview because they’re scared of hacker threats that have been linked to the North Korean government. 

There’s more at stake for Sony as the hack has affected more than just the release of The Interview, but this doesn’t change how cowardly this move is. 

So, as it stands now, Sony has shamefully locked The Interview away much like Jerry Lewis has locked away The Day The Clown Cried.

Sony Pictures and Major U.S. Theater Chains Succumb to Hacker Demands and Cancel Christmas Release of “The Interview”

December 17, 2014
Uncategorized
canceled, pyongyang, sony, sony pictures, steve carell, the interview

(via Variety)

So, the “Guardians of Peace” (i.e. ideologically misguided, butthurt hackers who waste their talents over superfluous nonsense rather than actually making the world a better, more peaceful place) got what they wanted.

Sony Pictures and top U.S. theater chains have canceled the Christmas release of The Interview in fear that some sort of attack might befall any theaters or theater goers that would screen the movie.

Given how much criticism of the government, society, and more that Americans engage in every split second, it’s more than odd that the limits to our free speech and expression here in America are coming from threats leveled by hackers who can’t correctly use whatever translation app they’re using as opposed to any sort of shadow government. 

If you’re wondering if this has set a precedent in terms of pre-emptive censorship by studios fueled out of a fear, look no further than reports of Steve Carell’s latest project Pyongyang getting canceled. 

There has been preliminary talks of releasing The Interview through VOD, but nothing has been made official. 

What is official is the end of this statement from Sony regarding the release’s cancellation,“We stand by our filmmakers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome.”

Canceling the release of a movie out of fear is apparently what "standing by our filmmakers and their right to free expression” means.

As the idea, or at least part of it, was to instill cowardice against depicting North Korea in a negative light here in America, we’d hope to see sketches, web videos, anything that aren’t afraid of what Sony, Regal, AMC, and more were afraid to do soon.

Seth Rogen Clears Up Any Controversy About “The Interview” on The Colbert Report

December 16, 2014
Uncategorized
amy pascal, colbert report, guardians of peace, kim jong-un, north korea, seth rogen, sony pictures, the interview

The so-called Guardians of Peace that have hacked, leaked, and doxxed Sony Pictures seem to have the sole goal of destroying the movie The Interview wherein a fictionalized attempt to assassinate North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un is attempted.

As a result, security was beefed up at the recent premiere here in LA and Rogen personally thanked Sony’s Amy Pascal for having the balls to make the movie. No incidents of note happened and were reported at the premiere.

Last night, Seth Rogen sat down with Stephen Colbert to chat about the movie and what possibly North Korea and the Guardians of Peace could possibly be so absurdly mad at that they use their capabilities to denounce an “assassination farce comedy”. 

Still, there are new threats by The Guardians of the Peace that reference 9/11 that claim, “We will clearly show it to you at the very time and places “The Interview” be shown, including the premiere, how bitter fate those who seek fun in terror should be doomed to. Soon all the world will see what an awful movie Sony Pictures Entertainment has made. The world will be full of fear. Remember the 11th of September 2001. We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time.”

As was this posted about this morning, you can see clearly that they missed out on the premiere, which took place last week.

In thinking what they could do as hackers to people going to watch the movie, maybe we all should just pay cash to see The Interview when it comes in theaters on Christmas?

Here’s a New Red Band Trailer for “The Interview”

September 20, 2014
Uncategorized
james franco, kim jong-un, north korea, red band trailer, seth rogen, sony pictures, the interview

Over the last couple of a months, there has been tension from North Korea over Sony PIctures’ The Interview starring Seth Rogen and James Franco.

Yesterday, a red band trailer was posted that gives us all a better picture of what North Korea is getting so steamed over as well as the duo, reminiscent of when they teamed up in Pineapple Express, that Rogen and Franco are playing that are tasked with assassinating Kim Jong-Un. 

So, maybe they don’t like all the rampant sexual innuendo?

Writer Rodney Rothman Is Hired to Write “23 Jump Street”

September 10, 2014
Uncategorized
22 jump street, 23 jump street, chris miller, philip lord, rodney rothman, sony pictures

(via Deadline)

Though 22 Jump Street ended with an awesomely ridiculous montage of a flurry of Jump Street sequels, Rodney Rothman who helped write “22” has now been hired to pen the 3rd installment of the franchise, 23 Jump Street. 

There’s no word on Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s involvement or if 23 Jump Street will follow the 23 Jump Street in that closing montage, but we’ll all probably be hyped for it either way.

The Interview with Seth Rogen and James Franco Moved to Christmas Release Date

August 7, 2014
Uncategorized
christmas, james franco, seth rogen, sony pictures, the interview

(via The Hollywood Reporter)

Despite North Korea’s protestations against the movie’s subject matter that focuses on killing Kim Jong-Un, Sony is moving the release of The Interview starring Seth Rogen and James Franco back to a bigger release date, Christmas.

Originally, the movie was slated for release in early October, but Sony is lining up its Christmas weekend offering for The Interview, where it’ll play against the third installment of The Hobbit franchise and more.

This will also give North Korea two more months to further decry the movie, though we’re not sure how much more they could say outside of an “act of terrorism”.

Sacha Baron Cohen Re-Ups His First Look Deal at Paramount as His Movie ‘Grimsby’ Moves To Sony

February 17, 2014
Uncategorized
ali g, first look deal, paramount, sacha baron cohen, sony pictures

Sacha Baron Cohen Re-Ups His First Look Deal at Paramount as His Movie ‘Grimsby’ Moves To Sony

Sacha Baron Cohen’s landmark character Ali G is already making a return with Ali G: Rezurection next week on FXx and now Sacha just renewed a first look deal at Paramount with projects he’s developing while simultaneously having his upcoming movie soccer hooligan comedy Grimsby going to Sony Pictures.

Looks like Sacha Baron Cohen might have quite a good 2014.

Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg Set to Do R-Rated Animated Feature ‘Sausage Party’ for Sony

September 24, 2013
Uncategorized
evan goldberg, seth rogen, sony pictures

Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg Set to Do R-Rated Animated Feature ‘Sausage Party’ for Sony

Obviously, Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg have wanted to do an adult animated comedy where they anthropomorphize a sausage for a long time, but just waited until they had the success of something like This Is The End to shop it around town. 

They’re calling ‘Sausage Party’ and presumably will be dick joke free, right?

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