‘Annie’ Director Will Gluck Addresses Sony Pictures Hacking Scandal

Will Gluck, behind the latest Annie film adaptation, was unhappy with the Sony Pictures hacking scandal because he had to spend Thanksgiving weekend dealing with the fallout.

The movie giant’s databases were comprised by cyber-crooks who posted the studio’s recent and upcoming films online, including Brad Pitt’s Fury and Timothy Spall’s Mr. Turner.

The new Annie adaptation was leaked three weeks ahead of its release, on December 19, and director Gluck is hoping the scandal does not ruin the film’s box office potential.

He tells The Hollywood Reporter, “I wasn’t happy – the whole holiday weekend, I was dealing with that. The only thing I could find, after going through a wide range of emotions, is that we made a movie about hope, optimism and finding your place in life, and if more people ultimately get to see that because of this, that’s the only thing I can hang onto.”

Actress Rose Byrne called the leak “absolutely disappointing”, but her co-star Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje does not believe it will affect the audience’s reaction to the movie, adding, “Because Annie is such an intimate part of the American membrane, I hardly think it’ll distract people from coming to see it. It’s a festive movie, and that’s what people want during Christmas. I believe the hackers will probably be in there as well!”

My personal favorite response to the leak was that of Bobby Cannavale’s: “Heartbroken? There’s so much going on this week. I’m a lot more heartbroken about other things.”

Personal information and salary details of celebrities including Seth Rogen, James Franco and Cameron Diaz were also stolen by hackers.

Photo Credit: Annie / Sony