Another film is being given a quick digital spit-and-polish to avoid tricky political issues. This time it’s the new Seth Rogen/James Franco comedy The Interview, which is being tweaked to sidestep diplomatic trouble with North Korea{
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the official Sony line on the film is that badges showing Kim Jong Un and his late father Kim Jong Il’s faces worn by soldiers in various scenes are being digitally removed to avoid clearance issues, and that a scene showing – spoiler alert – Un’s face being melted off could be cut should all involved decide it doesn't work for the film’s comic tone.
But there are also suggestions that the Korean authorities consider the use of actual military signage blasphemous; we can’t wait to see what they make of the rest of the movie’s humour. This move follows MGM using CG editing on 2013's **Red Dawn **remake to change the military identity of the invading force from Chinese to, ironically, North Korean.
The Interview finds Franco as Dave Skylark, the none-too-bright but very popular host of celebrity tabloid TV show Skylark Tonight. When he and producer/best pal Aaron Rapoport (Rogen) learn that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is a huge fan of their work, they manage to land an interview with the tyrant, seeing it as their chance to be legitimized as journalists.
But with their travel to Pyongyang set, the CIA decides that Dave and Aaron are the best shot they have at assassinating Kim, and set about finding a way for the two least qualified men imaginable to off a world leader…
Rogen co-wrote and directed the film with Evan Goldberg and the release date was recently shifted to December 25 in the States (and January 30 here), presumably to give it a better slot, but also, we can now assume, to allow time for the editing work to be completed. The teaser trailer is lurking here.