From ‘Team America:’ Kim Jong-il as Himself

In the wake of the growing controversy over Sony’s decision to pull the Seth Rogen and James Franco comedy The Interview after a massive data breach and threats from the hackers involved, a few creative theater-owners planned to replace the film with 2004’s Team America: World Police.  The animated satire, from South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone focuses on Kim Jong-il, the late father of current North Korea leader Kim Jong-un, and was thought to be a good fit to replace The Interview, which was scheduled for a Christmas Day release.  Paramount, the studio behind Team America, has decided not to allow theaters to show the film.After Sony pulled Interview, several venues including Dallas’ Alamo Drafthouse and the Capitol Theater in Cleveland had planned to run Team America.  The marionette comedy, featuring the voices of Parker and Stone, centers on an elite military team who enlist a Broadway star to go undercover in an attempt to thwart Kim Jong-il’s plan for global domination.  Tweets from several of the theaters who intended to screen Team America have laid the blame for the cancellation on Paramount. According to a tweet from Cleveland’s Capitol theater, “Please note: Our Late Shift screening of Team America: World Police has been canceled by Paramount Pictures.”

As of now, Paramount has not commented on the cancellations.