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North Korea blames the US for internet outages following Sony hacks
It may appear we've reached a climax in the Sony Pictures hack saga - what with The Interview finally seeing a theatrical release - but the international finger pointing is alive and well. Today, North Korea's National Defense Commission is accusing the US of causing nation-wide internet outages, while likening the government to a snot-nosed child playing games. According to Reuters, a statement from the Commission carried by the country's official news agency KCNA reads: The United States, with its large physical size and oblivious to the shame of playing hide and seek as children with runny noses would, has begun disrupting the Internet operations of the main media outlets of our republic.
Barely Related: The Interview didn't go well
Happy holidays, everyone! Welcome to Barely Related, a conversational Friday column that presents the non-gaming news stories that we, the Joystiq staff, have been talking about over the past week. And no, we're not stopping our focus on industry and gaming news. Think of this as your casual weekly recap of interesting (and mostly geeky) news, presented just in time to fill your brain with things to discuss at all of those weekend shindigs. Grab a fresh drink, lean back in your armchair, and get ready to talk nerdy with us.
Why North Korea's Sony hack made 'The Interview' required viewing
Congratulations, Guardians of Peace (and North Korea!) -- you've successfully prevented a "dangerous" Seth Rogen/James Franco comedy from getting released. But guess what? You've also made The Interview, which appeared to be just another slacker comedy from the Freaks and Geeks alums, vastly more important than it ever would have been on its own. That's what we in America call delicious irony. Sony, in a move President Barack Obama has called "a mistake," has vowed never to release the film in any form -- no VOD, no special digital download -- but it's only a matter of time until it's on every torrent and illegal video-streaming site on the web. And how long do you think it'll be until it makes its way into North Korea? You've won this battle, but you've also ignited a war against censorship that could end up dismantling your fascist control of information. Also, didn't you realize people always want what they can't have?
Sony Pictures cancels 'The Interview' theatrical release (update)
Threats posted by the people behind the unprecedented hacking of Sony Pictures appear to have had the desired effect. The Wall Street Journal and The Hollywood Reporter both state, based on anonymous sources, that the largest movie chains will not debut the movie next week. Carmike Cinemas said that it would not be showing the film, while the sources indicate they will be joined by AMC, Cinemark, Regal and Cineplex. In a statement to THR, Regal cited Sony Pictures' 'wavering support' for the film, as well as the threats, as the reason it decided to delay the film's opening. According to Variety, one possibility is to release the movie straight to video on-demand, but so far Sony Pictures has not commented publicly. Update: According to CNN's Pamela Brown, Sony Pictures has pulled the plug and will not premiere The Interview on December 25th as it originally planned. In a statement (included after the break), the company said "In light of the decision by the majority of our exhibitors not to show the film The Interview, we have decided not to move forward with the planned December 25 theatrical release." Meanwhile, another movie set in North Korea starring Steve Carell that was about to go into production has been cancelled. Update 2: According to media reports, the US government will publicly identify North Korea as the source of the cyberattacks. Update 3: According to the LA Times, Sony Pictures says it currently has no plans to release The Interview in any form, including straight to DVD/Blu-ray, VOD or subscription streaming.
Barely Related: The Little Prince trailer, Serial winds down
Remember when "squee" was a thing? Is it still a thing? Because we're feeling a little bit like doing that today. Welcome to Barely Related, a conversational Friday column that presents the non-gaming news stories that we, the Joystiq staff, have been talking about over the past week. And no, we're not stopping our focus on industry and gaming news. Think of this as your casual weekly recap of interesting (and mostly geeky) news, presented just in time to fill your brain with things to discuss at all of those weekend shindigs. Grab a fresh drink, lean back in your armchair, and get ready to talk nerdy with us.
Sony Pictures hack: the whole story
This has been a wretched year for big corporations in the US: Target, Home Depot, JPMorgan and, most recently, Sony Pictures have all had to deal with unauthorized security breaches over the past few months. As far as Sony Pictures is concerned, the problems began on November 24th, when various reports pointed to a high-profile, studio-wide cyberattack at the hands of a group calling itself "#GOP," aka the Guardians of Peace. Since then, the startling situation has turned into a colossal headache for the company. The hackers, who are believed to be from North Korea, have leaked some of its unreleased films online; revealed highly sensitive information, like passwords and executives' salaries; and gone as far as threatening employees and their families. As it stands, Sony Pictures is in a deep, downward spiral with no end in sight. [This piece was heavily updated on December 18th to reflect ongoing events; head to the bottom for that.]
Sony makes money on movies and games, but not on smartphones
It wasn't long ago that Sony, almost inexplicably for a company of its size and heritage, was losing money everywhere it went. After a few years of pain, however, things have begun to look up, with the company posting a first quarter net profit of around $265 million. The bulk of the good news comes from the PlayStation 4 and Sony Pictures, the company's film and TV arm that benefited from the successes of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and 22 Jump Street. The only sore point on the company's financials is that its mobile division continued to see sales of Xperia handsets drop -- a loss that even managed to offset a favorable bump in the exchange rate. The corporation is still predicting that it'll eat around $487 million in losses across the year, so don't be surprised if someone greenlights 23 Jump Street in the next couple of weeks.
Uncharted movie to reach theaters on June 10, 2016
Uncharted hero Nathan Drake will officially make his silver screen debut on June 10, 2016, according to Sony Pictures. According to Deadline, that release date was originally earmarked for The Amazing Spider-Man 3, but the studio has decided to delay that film to 2018. "June 10 is a great date for Uncharted," said Doug Belgrad, president of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group. "It's just the right place for this exciting action-adventure film." Despite this newly-revealed launch date, the Uncharted film has yet to cast an actor for the role of Nathan Drake, though Deadline believes Sony is once again trying to persuade Mark Wahlberg to sign on. As we reported earlier this year, King of Kong director Seth Gordon has been tapped to helm the adaptation, though, knowing Hollywood, there's still plenty of time for that to change. [Image: Sony]
Heavenly Sword movie slicing and dicing in September
Cinedigm announced the Heavenly Sword movie arrives on Blu-ray. DVD and the PlayStation Store on September 2, proving this is still a reality in which the Heavenly Sword movie exists. It's still so weird to see Blockade Entertainment's CGI film in action, knowing it's the first major use of the Sony property since Ninja Theory's 2007 PS3 game. As IGN reports, the film stars Fringe actress Anna Torv as heroine Nariko, Alfred Molina as King Bohan, Thomas Jane as Loki and Nolan North in a surprise Nathan Drake cameo - okay, that last one's not true, but maybe it should be. North is really in the film, but a man who isn't is Andy Serkis, who wasn't available to reprise his role as the villainous Bohan. Meanwhile, rumors of a Haze film adaptation remain something we made up just now. [Image: Sony]
Retro game-inspired short film 'Pixels' to become Adam Sandler feature
The brilliant short film Pixels kinda blew up on the web when it was released in 2010. Four years later, Sony is planning to breathe new life into the homage to old-school gaming by turning it into a feature-length Adam Sandler vehicle. The short featured classic game villains like Donkey Kong and Space Invaders wreaking havoc in New York City, eventually turning it and the entire globe into the titular elements of computerized graphics. The feature film will take the basic premise and add what passes for a plot -- aliens that resemble said video game characters see the virtual violence committed against them as an act of war. From there it falls to the stars of I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry to defeat the invading hordes. There's still plenty of time for this potential abomination to get shelved since filming doesn't even start 'til next month. There is one mystery left to solve, however -- with Chris Columbus at the helm, how exactly will Christmas figure into the plot?
Sandler movie Pixels pits aliens against arcade champions next summer
Pixels, the Adam Sandler action comedy that's taking 1980s gaming classics and giving them the big screen treatment, is coming to cinemas on May 15, 2015, Variety reports. Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage also features, while veteran director Chris Columbus will oversee filming, which is due to begin in June. To recap, the Pixels plot centers around aliens who discover video footage of classic arcade games. After seeing them, the aliens believe Earth is preparing to wage war - you might too if you were an extraterrestrial who stumbled upon Space Invaders. The aliens invade Earth, using the games they've seen as templates for their attack. Of course, it's up to some "old-school arcaders" to defeat the aliens, save the day, and try not to be portrayed too nerdily. If the plot and name sounds familiar, it's because you've probably seen it as Patrick Jean's excellent short film from a few years back; and the movie is based on Jean's video. It seems following the success of Wreck-It Ralph, 1980s gaming is in when it comes to films; Sony Pictures said Columbus and the studio are working with "many of the 1980s' most iconic video game brands" to bring together characters from arcade classics on the silver screen. [Image: Adam Sandler]
Sony Pictures registers BioShock movie domains
The on-again, off-again BioShock movie adaptation appears to be on the move again, as Sony Pictures has registered three domains seemingly related to the ethereal film. As Kotaku points out, Sony Pictures now holds the rights to bioshock-movie.com, bioshock-movie.net and bio-shock.net. None of those URLS bring up any sort of content, suggesting a preemptive move to lock up the domains in the event that Sony Pictures has need of them later. While this does not necessarily mean that the BioShock movie has entered production, it should be mentioned that this isn't the first time we've heard about this project in recent months. An IGN report from March 13 claims that Courtnee Draper, the actress who lent her voice to BioShock Infinite heroine Elizabeth, has been badgering BioShock maestro Ken Levine for the same role in the event of a movie adaptation. This is especially intriguing, given that Levine claims to have killed the BioShock production that Universal Studios was attempting to mount with Gore Verbinski in the director's chair. If Levine is still kicking around the idea to the extent that he's discussing the movie with a potential lead actress, maybe he hasn't entirely turned his back on the idea. Our attempts to reach BioShock publisher 2K Games for more information were met with a boilerplate "no comment." [Image: 2K Games]
Ubisoft teams with Sony Pictures for feature-length Rabbids movie
We've known for a while that Ubisoft was planning to bring the manic, mush-mouthed Rabbids to the silver screen, but we now learn that the gaming giant has tapped Sony Pictures to aid in the attempt. "Sony Pictures has tremendous experience developing hybrid live-action-and-animated blockbusters for audiences around the world, which makes them a natural fit for what we want to achieve with a Rabbids film," said Ubisoft Motion Pictures executive director Jean-Julien Baronnet in an announcement this morning. "This deal deepens our partnership with Sony Pictures and highlights our holistic approach to bringing Ubisoft's brands to new audiences while still maintaining the brands' creative integrity." This Rabbids film is only the latest effort by Ubisoft to break into the motion picture business via the publisher's popular video game characters. Last August we reported on a deal between Ubisoft and Sony Pictures to develop a film based on the Watch Dogs franchise, while a Ghost Recon film is currently in the early stages of production under the watchful eye of producer and noted explosion aficionado Michael Bay. There is currently no word on when the as-yet unnamed Rabbids film will debut, nor any information on its cast and crew. [Image: Ubisoft]
Sony Pictures URL registrations point to Sonic the Hedgehog movie
Sony Pictures has registered several web domains that suggest a film based on the Sonic the Hedgehog universe could be in the works. Kotaku noticed that "sonicthehedgehog-movie.com," "sonicthehedgehog-movie.net" and "sonicthehedgehogmovie.net" were registered to Sony last week, though Sony themselves have yet to announce any film adaptation of Sega's iconic mascot. Sony Pictures Animation has created both fully-animated (Open Season) and live-action-plus-CG (The Smurfs) in the past, so it's hard to say which way a Sonic movie, should it ever be made, would go. If it's the latter, we're telling you right now Sony, making it dark and edgy - complete with Dr. Robotnik/Eggman torturing someone - has already been done. Sonic the Hedgehog - The Movie. Coming sometime. Possibly. Running time (if it happens): fast.
Report: Sony seeking $100 million in cuts, includes job losses
Sony has hired management consulting firm Bain & Company to identify $100 million in cuts, Bloomberg reported. The cuts would reportedly include job losses, though how the cuts to the company's costs would divide out among its entertainment divisions is unknown. The report follows a second quarter loss reported by Sony of ¥19.3 billion ($197 million). As of its late October financial report, the company said it expects to ship 15 million PS3 and PS4 systems combined, with SCEA boss Jack Tretton recently projecting three million PS4 consoles sold by year's end. Sony did manage to sell one million PS4 units in the system's first 24 hours on shelves; Whether that factors in to the reported job losses remains to be seen.
Gran Turismo movie confirmed
Sony confirmed a Gran Turismo movie is indeed in development. When approached about reports, a Sony Computer Entertainment UK spokesperson told Joystiq the Gran Turismo film is "being made," adding the company doesn't have any further comment. Yesterday, The Wrap reported it had learned a Gran Turismo movie was in development, with The Social Network and Fifty Shades of Grey producers Michael de Luca and Dana Brunetti on board, and Sony Pictures executives Elizabeth Cantillon, Devon Franklin, and Hannah Minghella in charge. Those scant details remain unconfirmed. With little to go on currently, we'll refer you to Dreamworks' Need for Speed movie for a point of comparison. Imagine that, but maybe with less crashes and more jazz.
Report: Gran Turismo movie in development
Sony has reportedly given the green light to a big screen version of Gran Turismo, just as we'd gotten used to the idea of a Need for Speed movie. Holly-blog The Wrap said it learned the film is in development, with The Social Network producers Michael de Luca and Dana Brunetti behind the wheel. Brunetti and de Luca recently teamed up on the upcoming film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey - there's a livery gag in there somewhere, but we're too stunned to make it. In any case, we've reached out to Sony for comment. As The Wrap notes, Gran Turismo is Sony's best-selling game franchise, so from that standpoint it's clearly lucrative. We're just unsure what the brand lends to the big screen beyond a name and the theme of very shiny cars, but maybe that's enough. Not forgetting, of course, Gran Turismo 6 is heading onto PS3s worldwide this holiday season.
Simpsons, Alvin and the Chipmunks writer penning Angry Birds movie
The screenplay for Rovio's in-house Angry Birds film is being written by Jon Vitti, the Finnish developer has announced. A writer and producer, Vitti has worked on the screenplay for The Simpsons Movie and both 3D Alvin and the Chipmunks films, as well as two episodes of The Office, 25 episodes of The Simpsons and 20 episodes of late-80s Saturday Night Live. Vitti's tenue on The Simpsons spanned 1990 through 2004, with his creative mark left on landmark episodes such as "When Flanders Failed," "Cape Feare" and "Mr. Plow," among others. As we learned last week, Angry Birds will be distributed by Sony Pictures and will arrive in theaters on July 1, 2016.
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.
Shadow of the Colossus movie picks up 'Hanna' writer
The film adaptation of Shadow of the Colossus is still chuggin' right along, edging ever closer to becoming either the best or worst thing ever, as is the expected fate of all video game movie projects.The production has added Seth Lochhead to its staff, according to The Hollywood Reporter, who will be responsible for Colossus' story and/or screenplay. Lochhead's previous writing accomplishments include Hanna, the 2011 action thriller that starred Saoirse Ronan, Galadriel and The Incredible Hulk.Script production will be overseen by director Josh Trank with Lochhead starting on a fresh adaptation rather than elaborating on the initial draft penned by Justin Marks, the same scribe behind 2009's disastrous Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li. We're not complaining.
