Posted on 12/20/2014 3:12:38 PM PST by Steelfish
Sony CEO Worried For Months About 'The Interview,' Emails Show
Sony Corp. CEO Kazuo Hirai had pushed hard for the studio to tone down "The Interview." By AMY KAUFMAN AND RYAN FAUGHNDER
Emails reveal intense back-and-forth over Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai's concerns about 'The Interview' 'He really really hates it,' Amy Pascal says in hacked email, alluding to Sony CEO's doubts about 'Interview' Kazuo Hirai was worried. For months, the Tokyo-based chief executive of Sony Corp. had been raising questions about his Hollywood studio's plans to go forward with a film depicting the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
In a June 23 email, a Sony executive in Japan sent word to the studio, writing that Hirai was "very much concerned about this film" and its potential for angering the North Korean government. Two days later, North Korea declared the film an "act of war."
More communications followed, including requests that the gruesome death scene be toned down. Filmmakers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg made numerous attempts to edit the sequence — submitting a cut on Sept. 23 and another three days later.
But Hirai was still worried.
"He really really hates it," Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures, wrote to a fellow studio executive Sept. 28. "He wants to say no he wants to say yes … he is deeply conflicted."
These exchanges were reviewed by The Times after hackers broke into Sony's computer system and released thousands of confidential files on the Internet. In the wake of terror threats to cinemas, Sony canceled the film's planned Christmas Day release. The FBI on Friday said the North Korean government was responsible.
A three-decade veteran of Sony Corp., Hirai, 53, lacked a background in the movie business before becoming Sony's chief executive.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
my understanding is that it is a comedy
So much for banzai spirit.
These aren’t your grandfather’s Japanese.
So Amy went ahead with it despite her boss's deep misgivings.
The public reason for firing her though can be the Obama jokes.
Calling something a comedy doesn’t make it funny. He should have listened to doubts.
Sony cameras and electronics are second to none. Maybe they should just stick with that.
Kazuo Hirai should have fired Lynton and Pascal long ago. Who in their right mind gives 40 million dollars to no-talent Seth Rogen to make a movie? If you are stupid enough to give him money to make a movie you need to at least be smart enough to tell him to stick with his trademark poop and masturbation themes. Now Pascal wants Al Sharpton to oversee content for Sony Pictures. Why hasn’t she been fired yet?
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