Sony now says 'The Interview' will be Distributed in some Way

Sony has been engaging in some serious revisionist history over the weekend while everybody has been distracted with Christmas shopping. Perhaps it's due to the backlash by vocal critics like George Clooney and President Barack Obama, who weren't pleased at their decision to cancel The Interview in the wake of terrorist threats posed (presumably, I'm not so certain) by North Korea. While the exhibitors certainly forced Sony's hand, their blanket statement that "Sony Pictures has no further release plans for the film" was pretty clear. And yet they are trying to backtrack on that now. Can someone cue the music from Fame because there's some serious tap dancing going on here.

Sony's lawyer David Boies told Meet the Press "Sony has been fighting to get this picture distributed. It will be distributed. How it's going to be distributed, I don't think anybody knows quite yet. But it's going to be distributed." Boies said Sony merely "delayed" release of the film, which is contradicted by their previous statements.

Despite a story in the New York Post claiming The Interview would be streamed on Sony's Crackle service, that won't be happening. Statements had been made earlier in the week that Sony was having trouble finding a digital partner to put the movie online, but perhaps they have now  found a distributor. Game of Thrones' George RR Martin is one who has been pushing aggressively for Sony to release the film to smaller distributors, just to get the movie out there...

Martin: “I have been in communication with the owners and operators of other independent cinemas and arthouses, and representatives of some of the smaller chains, and I know that hundreds of these venues would gladly screen this film, if only Sony will make it available. Regal and AMC and the megaplexes may have caved, but the independents have not. Sony could have the film on five hundred screens by Christmas, if it wants to.”

With all of the controversy surrounding this ridiculous little film, could you imagine the kind of business The Interview could pull for art house theater chains, and for Sony, if it gets released as Martin hopes? No matter what happens I just want this whole thing to be over with. It's been an embarrassment on multiple levels.