The Alamo Drafthouse in Dallas plans to screen a movie next week about North Korea, but it won’t be “The Interview,” which was pulled Wednesday from release by Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Instead, the theater announced late Wednesday that the Sony film has been replaced by “Team America: World Police,” the 2004 satirical action comedy from the “South Park” creators filmed with marionettes about U.S. commandos who take on North Korea leader Kim Jong-il.
“FOR THE RECORD: We were still going to show the #TheInterviewMovie … but now we’ll be showing Team America in its place … for FREE(DOM). BECAUSE AMERICA, F YEAH,” says the Alamo Drafthouse DFW in a pair of posts on Twitter.
“Team America,” written by “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone and directed by Mr. Parker, was never the subject of terrorist threats, even though Kim Jong-il is killed at the end of the movie.
Sony cancelled plans to release “The Interview” after most of the nation’s major cinema chains refused to show the film following a 9/11-style terrorist threat from Guardians of Peace, the hackers who have released thousands of private Sony documents and emails in what appears to be a retaliatory strike over the comedy.
“The Interview” stars James Franco and Seth Rogen as bumbling television journalists who become part of a CIA plot to kill North Korea leader Kim Jong-un, the son of the late Kim Jong-il.
Sony has no plans at this time to release the $42 million movie in any form, including DVD or video-on-demand, according to the industry newspaper Variety.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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