Dear Sony, We'll Screen The Interview For You
Faceless hackers—reportedly sponsored by a brutal regime —have succeeded in striking so much fear into the movie industry that nobody will show The Interview. Well, not us. We'd like to formally offer to show it.
Consider this an offer to Sony Pictures. We know that you've had a rough couple of weeks. You got hacked. Embarrassing internal gossip about your executives and stars spread far and wide—thanks in part to us. We're sure that you are not in the best of moods.
But please, consider the larger picture. Embarrassing business stories will pass. What will live on is the fact that the world's single worst dictatorship was able to intimidate a movie studio into getting its way. This sets a precedent. Not a good one.
The movie theater chains were too intimidated to show the movie. And you, Sony Pictures, decided to scrap the release altogether. Allow us to offer our help in defense of freedom of speech and The American Way. Gawker is happy to host a screening of The Interview, right here in New York City, where the (canceled) East Coast premiere was supposed to take place. We'll pay for it. We'll buy the popcorn. We'll donate proceeds to an as-yet-unselected charity doing noble work within North Korea. We'll invite Dennis Rodman. We'll even invite you, if you'd like to come. All you have to do is provide us with a copy of the movie, and permission to show it.
It's understandable if you think we're the bad guys right now. But there are real bad guys involved in this, and it's not good for any of us to let them win. Let's show that movie. It will be fun. (Unless the movie sucks.)