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North Korea denies hacking Sony Pictures, but likes that someone did
If you suspect that North Korea hacked Sony Pictures' network, you're not going to get confirmation any time soon. State news outlet KCNA is now denying any North Korean role in the breach, and calls the allegation a "wild rumor." With that said, the nation is more than happy to see the movie studio suffer after daring to poke fun at Kim Jong Un in The Interview. KCNA suggests that the hack could be a "righteous deed," and that the perpetrators (Guardians of Peace) may be "supporters and sympathizers" of the North's cause.
Hackers leak Sony passwords, social security numbers and salaries
The cyber attack against Sony Pictures continues to be a major problem for the company. For one, it looks like the hackers used malware called Destover (which security firms believe could have been created in Korea) that can completely disable hard drives, rendering computers useless. Worse, the hackers calling themselves the Guardians of Peace recently leaked more info: a whole folder full of company passwords, as well as former and current employees' salaries and social security numbers. And yet, all these could've been avoided, according to some of the company's former employees. They told Fusion that "Sony's 'information security' team is a complete joke," prone to ignoring reports about vulnerabilities.
Unreleased Sony movies leak online following studio hack
There may now be some strong evidence that the Sony Pictures hackers came across a treasure trove of sensitive info when they broke into the movie studio's networks. High-quality screener copies of Annie, Fury, Mr. Turner and Still Alice have reached torrent file sites well before you can get any of them at home -- and, outside of Fury, before you can even see them in theaters. While there's no direct evidence that the Sony Pictures attackers (the "Guardians of Peace") are responsible, a tipster claiming to be the "boss of G.O.P." has emailed many media outlets claiming that the group seeded the bootleg videos. That may be supported by the names of the torrents themselves, which start with "2014 Sony Movie" in a seeming attempt to highlight the source.
Sony Pictures is worried that North Korea hacked its computers
If you've been intrigued by the hack that took down Sony Pictures' computers, you've probably wondered who the self-proclaimed culprits, the "Guardians of Peace," might be. Are they disgruntled employees? Social activists? According to Recode sources, Sony is worried that they're actually North Korean cyberwarriors. The company and its security consultants are "actively exploring" theories that an outfit in China breached the network on North Korea's behalf. Investigators haven't confirmed anything, but they also haven't ruled out the Korean link so far.
Sony Pictures' computers are still locked as hackers demand equality (updated)
Sony Pictures' employees around the globe are still locked out of their company computers after they were hacked on the 24th by a group calling itself the "Guardians of Peace." Now, new details have emerged that shed some light on what they want and how they did it. Someone who claims to be part of the group and identifies himself as "Lena" told Salted Hash and The Verge that it's not money they're after: "We Want equality. Sony doesn't. It's an upward battle." Further, he hints that the whole deal was an inside job and that they have physical access to the company's offices: "Sony left their doors unlocked, and it bit them," Lena wrote. "They don't do physical security anymore. Sony doesn't lock their doors, physically, so we worked with other staff with similar interests to get in."
Sony Pictures hack takes computers down studio-wide
As a whole, Sony isn't a stranger to being hacked, but the most recent effort targeted its movie division -- not PlayStation. Computers in Sony Pictures offices have been compromised, as Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety report. Studio-wide, computers were breached by a group named "#GOP" that threatened the following: "We already warned you, and this is just a beginning. We continue till our request be met. We've obtained all of your internal data including your secrets and top secrets. If you don't obey us, we'll release the data shown below to the world."
'Community' revived for a sixth season on Yahoo Screen
Six seasons and a movie. That's what fans of Community want, and they're very close to getting it. NBC cancelled Dan Harmon's comedy after its fifth season on the network -- one that may have already owed its existence to streaming services -- but now Yahoo has announced it's commissioning a new 13-episode season. There had been rumors/wishes that Community would return on an online network like Hulu, Crackle or Netflix, but The Wrap reports the cast's contracts were due to expire on Monday, so Sony Pictures needed to make a deal and Yahoo is looking for content (Firefly fans, update your mailing lists). With the exception of the previously departed Troy (Donald Glover) and Pierce Hawthorne (Chevy Chase), the main cast is onboard all the way down to Jim Rash as Dean Pelton. The season will be exclusive to Yahoo Screen, but details like how much it will cost to watch (if anything) or how the episodes will be released are still unclear. The one problem we hope Yahoo can solve right away? Where to put October 19th. Update: In a TV Guide article explaining how Community got to Yahoo Screen (tl;dr: cash money -- the $2 million per episode budget will remain the same from its run on NBC, which Hulu couldn't match), exec Kathy Savitt says the plan is for it to be ad supported, and episodes will be released on a weekly basis. [Image credit: Associated Press]
Bond producers snag film rights to the Snowden story
A secret meeting in Hong Kong, a stunning revelation and a pulitzer prize-winning news story. Sound exciting enough to grace the silver screen? Sony sure thinks so -- the company's film branch just bought up the rights to Glenn Greenwald's No Place to Hide, the story behind the journalist's fabled meeting with Edward Snowden. The book covers Greenwald's early meetings with Snowden and offers no small amount of commentary on the NSA's surveillance practices, but it could be a difficult story to put to film: Snowden is still in Russia, after all. Still, Sony Pictures is rearing to take a stab at it, and is putting the project in the hands of Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, the producers behind James Bond films like Skyfall and Quantum of Solace. Considering the kind of international trouble Bond gets himself into, it could be a good fit -- just don't expect it to be an action film.
House of Cards S2 Blu-ray goes on sale June 19th for those who prefer a hard copy
House of Cards may be most famous for leading the charge of Netflix's original streaming content, but the show's producer Media Rights Capital is ready for all avenues. Just like the first season, season two will get a release on physical discs this summer from Sony Pictures. Frank Underwood's Washington D.C. escapades are ready for viewing in 1080p, and although that's not 4K, at least your ISP's connection to Netflix can't get in the way. One change this year is that there are a few extras on the discs including a behind the scenes look at a table read and dive into Frank's tendency to directly address the viewer -- we'll have to wait and see if Netflix adds special features to the streaming editions before the next season arrives. There's no pricetag yet, but the first season started off at about $50 before settling in near $30, and we'd expect about the same for this one.
Got Comcast? You can watch House of Cards without a Netflix subscription
Have you been eager to watch House of Cards, but haven't wanted to spring for a Netflix subscription? If you're a Comcast subscriber, you no longer have to. The cable firm has reached a deal with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment that lets subscribers buy the first season of House of Cards through the Xfinity Store on their set-top boxes. Orange is the New Black will reach the store on May 13th. The arrangement also gives provides access to some hotter Sony movies and TV shows before the usual video on demand release window, including American Hustle and Breaking Bad. Netflix still has exclusive streaming rights for its shows, but that shouldn't be a problem for Comcast customers with a little extra cash on hand.
Ubisoft and Sony Pictures team up to produce Watch Dogs movie
Gran Turismo's not the only game venturing into Hollywood, folks. Today at its Gamescom 2013 presser, Sony announced that it's teaming up with Ubisoft to produce a movie based upon the forthcoming next-gen game Watch Dogs. Sony Pictures will be collaborating with the publisher to make it happen, but unfortunately, other details about the movie are scarce, but we're sure the when, where, who and how will be revealed eventually. Stay tuned.
Sony confirms Gran Turismo movie, provides no details
Yes, Sony is, in fact, working on a film version of its long-running simulation racing video game series Gran Turismo. A Sony Computer Entertainment UK rep told our sister site Joystiq that said film is "being made," but provided no other information. Yesterday, reports surfaced of the film being tied to Mike de Luca and Dana Brunetti (of The Social Network and 50 Shades of Grey production fame), with support from a trio of Sony Pictures execs. Of course, none of this sounds too far-fetched given the presence of Sony Pictures president Michael Lynton at the PlayStation E3 press conference. He promised Sony Pictures' support to the PlayStation 4 in the form of original programming, and a movie based on a massive PlayStation franchise sounds like a good start. For now, however, few details are confirmed beyond the project's existence.
Sony to offer UltraViolet movies in France and Germany starting late September
To use UltraViolet these days, you have to live in one of a few English-speaking countries. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will change that soon: the company just teased its plans for the digital locker service in mainland Europe. According to the firm's David Bishop, Germans will get cloud access to Sony movies in late September -- possibly September 30th, as DECE hinted in April -- while the French will have their turn sometime in the fall. Neither Sony nor other studios have provided additional launch dates, although we know that neighboring countries like Belgium and the Netherlands should be next on the list.
Rovio teams up with Sony for the Angry Birds movie, coming July 2016
Rovio has announced, via tweet and then by news release, that it has lined up a deal and a date with Sony Pictures to distribute the upcoming Angry Birds movie. Rovio's been working on putting the frustrated fowl into a motion picture for a while, but this announcement makes it more or less a done deal -- all that needs to happen is that it gets made. Rovio says the movie will be out in theaters on July 1, 2016. The film will be in 3D (and animated, of course). It'll be produced by Despicable Me producer John Cohen, along with David Maisel. There's no director or writer yet announced, but this isn't exactly rocket science: Odds are that there will be green pigs stealing the birds' eggs, and the birds will have to team up together in a heartwarming way to get revenge. In fact, Rovio, if you need a hand, I could punch out a treatment for you. Just let me know.
NBC renews Community for a fifth season, possibly thanks to Amazon, Netflix
Tonight NBC revealed it is bringing back comedy Community for a fifth season. While NBC has been criticized for shifting the premiere date for this last season and dumping showrunner Dan Harmon, Variety suggests its renewal may be related to something apart from the show. The Sony Pictures-produced show could have followed the path of Cougar Town to cable but there's also new competition for content from sources like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu. All are willing to pay for quality original content and would love to snatch up the audience that's already watching on NBC. One needs only look at Arrested Development or the Kickstarter for Veronica Mars to see how much hype "saving" a show brings in the digital realm. Another boost for the show is likely to come from reruns on Comedy Central, all of which adds up to a renewal order which at one time seemed unlikely to happen. Finally, NBC has other elements that are certainly in play, like stabilizing a Thursday night lineup with familiar shows as it prepares for the Winter Olympics early next year. When the show comes back it will unfortunately be without Chevy Chase's Pierce Hawthorne character, so a Journey to the Center of Hawkthorne 2 is probably not on the table. If you're not familiar with the show's pursuit of "six seasons and a movie" and wonder what all the hype is about, check after the break for one man's theory of Community as a "postmodern masterpiece."
Netflix's House of Cards comes to Blu-ray in June; second screen feature tweaked on Android
While Netflix is focused on a streaming future the first series to appear exclusively on its service will see a more conventional release this summer. High Def Disc News points out an Amazon listing indicates the House of Cards Season One Blu-ray will arrive June 11th, from Sony Pictures. Sony signed on to distribute the Media Rights Capital project worldwide after a window for Netflix's streaming exclusivity, so if Super HD still isn't enough quality-wise -- and since 4K streaming isn't here yet -- you do have other options, currently priced at $52.99 sans details of extras or technical specs. Users may have also noticed changes recently in Netflix's mobile apps, like their to their ability to play video on other screens. While we'd seen the ability to push video to other devices and control playback already, Android users should be seeing some visual tweaks to help owners of compatible devices (PS3 and certain smart TVs for now) figure out how it works. With DIAL-compatible TVs the prompt shows up as long as the target device is on (whether or not the app is open), while on the PS3 the Netflix app will need to be open for it to pop up. Something else that's been rolling out is a prompt asking if Netflix can send push notifications, which is used to notify users of things like new seasons of TV shows they've watched becoming available. Check after the break for another screen grab, and let us know if you've noticed any other new features -- other than yesterday's April Fool-related overly-specific content categories -- popping up lately. [Thanks, Michael]
Sony Pictures renews Starz exclusivity agreement, locks in until 2021
Sony Pictures films from Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Classics, TriStar, and Screen Gems will remain first-run exclusive to Starz-included cable packages through 2021, Sony Pictures and Starz announced this morning. The deal was previously set to expire with the closing of 2016's box office, but Sony and Starz apparently were cozy enough to ink another five years on the contract; it's unclear how much money changed hands to make this happen. Starz boasts a sextet of films headed to its pay television channels this year from Sony Pictures, including The Amazing Spider-Man and Zero Dark Thirty -- digital streaming services like Netflix have been stripping away many cable television first-run deals as consumers migrate to streaming services from traditional cable plans. Starz itself once pushed films to Netflix, but famously ended that deal in late 2011. Disney, however, recently signed just such a deal with Netflix, promising first-run exclusivity starting in 2016. And us, well, we just want a stable place to watch hit John Travolta vehicles like Wild Hogs and Battlefield Earth. Is that so much to ask?
Sky signs exclusive UK deal with Sony, keeps Netflix's dirty hands off MiB 3
Having already ploughed through Warner Bros.' catalog, execs at Sky have just added the latest wares from Sony Pictures Television to their UK and Ireland playlist. Forthcoming titles like After Earth will arrive on Sky Movies six months after they've finished in cinemas, and will join other Sony pictures -- like Men in Black 3, The Amazing Spider-Man and Django Unchained -- in being Sky-only for another twelve months after that.
Youku Tudou signs 5-year deal with Sony Pictures, completes its collection of Hollywood studio licenses
If Baidu didn't already have reason to take pause at Youku and Tudou's recent merger, it might now: the newly joined Chinese video giant just announced a five year licensing deal with Sony Pictures. The agreement will put some 300 Sony titles on Youku Premium's ad-free platform, providing subscribers with classic, critically acclaimed and recent tiles such as Groundhog Day, Across the Universe, and Men in Black 3. The Sony deal also gives Youku Tudou a complete set of major Hollywood content providers, complimenting similar deals with Warner Brothers, DreamWorks, Paramount, Disney, NBC Universal, Lionsgate and Twentieth Century Fox. Check out the firm's official announcement after the break.
Sony, Discovery and IMAX launch 3net Studios to produce in-house 3D content
If you've spent all of this effort launching an All-3D channel, it's probably wise to ensure you've got enough content to keep your schedules full. That's why 3net founders Sony, Discovery and IMAX are teaming up to launch 3net Studios, with facilities opening in California and Maryland. The new business will be used to bring together the best and brightest minds in stereoscopic media to produce footage for the channel. It'll begin announcing the first projects in the next few weeks, but unless there's space for a 3D version of Dan Harmon's Community, we won't be listening.
