‘Interview’ writer: If they want to bomb somebody for free speech, I’d like to be at ground zero

On Dec. 17, eight days after my interview with screenwriter Dan Sterling of “The Interview” – the Seth Rogen and James Franco comedy about goofy journalists who land an interview with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un and then are tasked by the CIA to assassinate him – Sony Pictures Entertainment cancelled the release of the film, which was scheduled for Dec. 25.

Sony scrapped the release the day after hackers who had previously leaked damaging computer data about the studio posted a Sept. 11-style threat to theaters that would screen the film; and the largest United States and Canadian theater chains said that they would not show the movie.  It is widely suspected that North Korean officials caused the hacking and the threats, which also led Sony to cancel the film’s New York premiere this past week.

In Sterling’s interview with the Journal on Dec. 9, the screenwriter voiced his hopes that Sony would release “The Interview” as scheduled. 

“It’s a very dangerous idea to start making a habit of every time somebody comes out and hacks, to shut up,” he said.  “If they want to bomb somebody for their free speech, I would like to be at ground zero, because I don’t want to live in that kind of world.”