After Sony
yanked North Korean satire 'The Interview' from theaters, several small
houses announced plans to show 'Team America' - another film featuring a
North Korean leader - in an attempt to spite the hermit regime.
However,
Paramount Pictures has now put the kibosh on the screenings - sending
out messages barring the cinemas from showing the movie.
One
of the theaters, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema said; 'Due to to
circumstances beyond our control, the TEAM AMERICA 12/27 screening has
been cancelled. We apologize & will provide refunds today.'
Paramount however has yet to make any comment on their decision to not allow cinemas to show the film.
'Team America: World Police' features
the previous leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-il as a singing marionette
that gets impaled on a spike and is later revealed to be a space alien
North Korea called 'The Interview' and
'act of war' for portraying the assassination and violent death of its
current leader, Kim Jong-un - who took over after his father's death
While
'The Interview' shows currently leader Kim Jong-un being assassinated
in a gory fashion, 'Team America: World Police' depicts a marionette
version of his father, Kim Jong-il.
In 2004's 'Team America,' Kim Jong-il is impaled on a spike and then revealed to be an alien.
Alamo
Drafthouse Cinema in Richardson, Texas, on Thursday advertised the
December 27 showing of 'Team America' as a show of support for freedom.
Earlier
today, the Drafthouse and three other theaters that announced plans to
show 'Team America' posted on Twitter to say that the screening was
canceled.
Two other theaters posted that they were pulling 'Team America' on the orders of Paramount.
Paramount has not commented on the move.
Sony pulled 'The Interview' after hackers threatened a 9/11-style attack on theaters showing the movie.
Many
Hollywood stars responded furiously, saying that the hackers 'had won'
and that Sony's actions marked a massive step back for freedom of
expression.
Alamo Drafthouse planned to spike
North Korea by showing 'Team America: World Police' instead of 'The
Interview' - but was forced to pull the plug