‘The Interview’ moved back to Christmas Day

LOS ANGELES — Sony Pictures Entertainment has moved James Franco and Seth Rogen’s new action-comedy “The Interview” to Christmas Day from its original Oct. 10 release date.

That’s bad news for Paramount’s R-rated comedy “Hot Tub Time Machine 2,” which is slated to open the same day. TheWrap wouldn’t be surprised if it moved off that date, since the sequel doesn’t have the same star power as “The Interview.”

Rogen and Evan Goldberg co-directed the movie, which will now square off against Angelina Jolie’s “Unbroken,” Disney’s “Into the Woods,” Paramount’s MLK movie “Selma” and a pair of Weinstein Company releases in “Paddington” and Tim Burton’s “Big Eyes.”

“The Interview” follows Dave Skylark (Franco) and his producer Aaron Rapoport (Rogen), who run the popular celebrity tabloid TV show “Skylark Tonight.” When they discover that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is a fan of the show, they land an interview with him in an attempt to legitimize themselves as journalists. As Dave and Aaron prepare to travel to Pyongyang, their plans change when the CIA recruits them, perhaps the two least-qualified men imaginable, to assassinate Kim Jong-un.

“The combination of Seth, Evan, and James is pure comedic magic,” said Rory Bruer, president of worldwide distribution for Sony. “In our early screenings of ‘The Interview’ we’ve seen that they’ve delivered yet again, and we’re thrilled to be making the move to Christmas - one of the most important moviegoing days of the year and the perfect date to show off their brand of comedy.”

Rogen and Goldberg directed from a script by Dan Sterling, based on a story the three of them came up with. Rogen and Goldberg also produced the film under their Point Grey banner along with James Weaver.

Information for this report was provided by TheWrap.com.