Well, that escalated quickly. During an appearance on The Howard Stern Show on Monday, Seth Rogen and James Franco were asked if they fear for their lives following the Sony hack that's left Hollywood on edge. The actors — whose new movie, The Interview, features the pair attempting to assassinate Kim Jong-un — laughed off the notion.
Today, they're singing a very different tune.
The hackers, who call themselves Guardians of Peace and are believed by many to be operating on behalf of North Korea, released some frightening new threats Tuesday, prompting Franco and Rogen to cancel all scheduled promotional appearances.
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"The world will be full of fear. Remember the 11th of September, 2001. We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time. (If your house is nearby, you'd better leave.)" the hackers said, referring to theaters that show the film when it opens Friday.
Considering the hackers have delivered on all their threats — which include airing Hollywood's dirty laundry via hundreds of thousands of internal Sony emails — it's no wonder Rogen and Franco have decided to err on the side of caution.
A BuzzFeed Brews event in New York on Tuesday, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and Late Night with Seth Meyers on Thursday are among the cancelled appearances.
Reps for the actors have yet to comment. (Variety)