Sony cancels parody film as North Korea suspected over hack

Sony Pictures on Dec. 17 cancelled the release of a madcap comedy about North Korea that triggered chilling threats from hackers, as US investigators reportedly blamed Pyongyang for a damaging cyber-raid on the movie giant.
      
The Hollywood studio announced the move after US theater chains said they would not screen "The Interview," about a fictional plot to assassinate North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un.
      
The dramatic action came as several US media outlets reported that investigators now believe North Korea was behind the devastating cyber-attack that saw hackers gain access to a trove of internal Sony documents and unreleased movies.
      
Representatives for several agencies including the FBI declined to comment on the reports.
      
"In light of the decision by the majority of our (theater) exhibitors not to show the film 'The Interview,' we have decided not to move forward with the planned December 25 theatrical release," Sony said in a statement.
      
"Sony Pictures has no further release plans for the film," a spokesman added to AFP, suggesting -- though not confirming -- the film will not even be released on DVD or in other formats.
      
Skittishness about attending the movie followed threats by the so-called GOP (Guardians of Peace) hacking group, which invoked the September 11, 2001 attacks in an ominous warning to any movie-goers planning to see the film.
      
North Korea has denied involvement in the brazen November 24 cyber-attack, which some experts said could possibly have been carried out by disgruntled workers or by supporters of North Korea furious over the movie.
                      
James Lewis, a former State Department official, said that "of the...