Hollywood stars are dismayed at Sony's cancellation of the controversial film "The Interview" due to cyber threats and deemed it an "act of cowardice."
Celebrities -- comedians in particular -- are creating serious banter online over Seth Rogen and James Franco's "The Interview," which had been pulled from theaters, ET Online reported Thursday.
A thread of Twitter posts from Judd Apatow and Jimmy Kimmel clearly state their opinion on the matter, noting how Sony easily succumbed to the threats.
"I think it is disgraceful that these theaters are not showing The Interview. Will they pull any movie that gets an anonymous threat now?" Apatow wrote adding that the act only guarantees more popularity for the film.
TV host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel also expressed his agreement to her post citing how poorly the production firm had reacted. ". @JuddApatow I agree wholeheartedly. An un-American act of cowardice that validates terrorist actions and sets a terrifying precedent."
Meanwhile, TV and film personality Rob Lowe tweeted how the hackers gained victory over Hollywood while comedian Steve Carell wrote: "Sad day for creative expression. #feareatsthesoul."
Meanwhile, "Night at the Museum" actor Ben Stiller expressed his disbelief at Sony's reaction to a threat to the freedom of expression in the country.
"Really hard to believe this is the response to a threat to freedom of expression here in America. #TheInterview," he wrote.
The film topped the headlines after anonymous threats of theater bombing surfaced, scaring many theater exhibitors.
Several have decided not to show the Sony comedy in their cinemas, leaving the entertainment firm with the option to pull the film out.
"In light of the decision by the majority of our exhibitors not to show the film The Interview, we have decided not to move forward with the planned December 25 theatrical release," Sony told ET Online in a separate report.
Further explaining the situation, Sony believed that the attacks, which included leaked "intellectual property, private emails, and sensitive and proprietary material," were made so that the movie would not be distributed.
"We are deeply saddened at this brazen effort to suppress the distribution of a movie, and in the process do damage to our company, our employees, and the American public. We stand by our filmmakers and their right to free expression and are extremely disappointed by this outcome," their statement read.
In the controversial comedy, James Franco portrays celebrity journalist Dave Skylark while Seth Rogen acts as his producer Aaron Rapoport.
The story revolves around the two major characters who were recruited by the CIA and were assigned to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un after successfully landing an interview with him in Pyongyang.
