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Sony CEO Michael Lynton to President Obama: ‘We Have Not Caved’ (Video)

”We have not caved, we have not given in, we have persevered, and we have not backed down,“ Sony CEO tells CNN

and | December 19, 2014 @ 12:49 PM

Sony CEO Michael Lynton fired back at President Obama’s calling his decision to cancel “The Interview” a mistake, saying, “We have not caved” to terrorists.

“We have not caved, we have not given in, we have persevered, and we have not backed down. We have always had every desire to have the American public see this movie,” Lynton said on CNN.

Also Read: President Obama: Sony ‘Made a Mistake’ in Canceling ‘The Interview’

“In this instance, the president, the press, and the public are mistaken on what actually happened,” Lynton told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria. “We do not own movie theaters, we can not determine whether or not a movie will be played in movie theaters.”

President Obama said in a pre-holiday press conference that Sony “made a mistake” in deciding to pull “The Interview” from theaters and also from any video on demand or other release, in the face of threats from North Korea. The comedy depicts the assassination of leader Kim Jong-un.

In his first public remarks since the Nov. 24 hack, Lynton said he still would like people to see the movie.

CNN: Would you make the movie again?
“Yeah, I would make the movie again. I think for the same reasons we made it in the first place — it was a funny comedy, it served as political satire — I think we would’ve made the movie again.
“Knowing what I know now we might’ve done some things slightly differently, but I think a lot of events have overtaken us in a way that we had no control over the facts.
“We would still like the public to see this movie. Absolutely.”
Lynton emphasized that the studio is actively considering options that would allow them to stream the movie online, but so far had not found a company willing to do so. “There are a number of options and we are considering them,” he said. “There has not been one major VOD or one major ecommerce site that has says they are willing to step forward and distribute this movie.”
Lynton continued that Sony had experienced the worst cyberattack in American history and persevered for three-and-a-half weeks under enormous stress and enormous difficulty, “all with the effort of trying to keep our business up and running and get this movie out to the public.”

The Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO, ironically, is a longtime supporter and friend of the president.

Lynton explained that Sony was sticking to its decision to release the movie on Christmas, but movie theaters started to come to Sony, telling them they wouldn’t carry the film, leaving them no choice.

Also Read: Joe Scarborough Goes Bonkers on Hollywood, Mika Brzezinski Blasts George Clooney (Video)

Zakaria reported that Lynton has been calling the White House and working with them since the cyberattacks began, working with the FBI for weeks, and disputed Obama’s statement that he wished he was informed about Sony’s decision to cancel “The Interview” ahead of time.

“A few days ago, I personally did reach out and speak to senior folks in the White House and talked to them about the situation and actually informed them that we needed help,” Lynton said.

“I did reach out and explain the situation to them at that time … we definitely spoke to senior advisers to talk about the situation.”

Also Read: George R.R. Martin Slams Sony’s ‘Corporate Cowardice,’ Offers to Screen ‘The Interview’ at His Own Theater

Lynton went on to argue that Sony never pulled the film; it was the movie theaters that came to Sony refusing to show it.

“He [Lynton] did say that does not mean they are not going to show the movie, it means the December 25th release cannot proceed because there is no movie theater in America that was willing to show it,” said Zakaria.

The full interview will air Friday night at 8 p.m. ET on “Anderson Cooper 360.”

Watch the video here.

Sony Hack Attack Timeline: From First Cyberbreach and Leaks to 'The Interview' Release (Photos)

  • Michael Lynton The Grill
  • sony hack email nightmare
  • Sony Pictures
  • Sony
  • James Franco, Seth Rogen, "The Interview"
  • James Franco, Seth Rogen
  • Amy Pascal and Michael Lynton
  • Sony Chiefs Amy Pascal, Michael Lynton 'Deeply Saddened' Over Hacking Attack
  • Sony Pictures
  • Sony's logo on a wall
  • "hacked by #GOP" message found on Sony computers
  • Sony's logo on a wall
  • Sony Chiefs Amy Pascal, Michael Lynton 'Deeply Saddened' Over Hacking Attack
  • Tom Hanks
  • Amy Pascal, Steve Mosko of Sony
  • Sony's logo on a wall
  • Sony Marketing Layoffs
  • Sony Pictures
  • Movie posters for the premiere of the film 'The Interview' at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angeles, California on December 11, 2014. The film, starring US actors Seth Rogen and James Franco, is a comedy about a CIA plot to assassinate its leader Kim Jong-Un, played by Randall Park. North Korea has vowed 'merciless retaliation' against what it calls a 'wanton act of terror' -- although it has denied involvement in a massive cyber attack on Sony Pictures, the studio behind the film. AFP PHOTO/STR (Photo Credit: Getty Images)
  • The Throwaways
  • Skyfall Daniel Craig James Bond 25
  • sony hack email nightmare
  • ArcLight Cinemas
  • Sony Chiefs Amy Pascal, Michael Lynton 'Deeply Saddened' Over Hacking Attack
  • Sony's logo on a wall
  • The Interview movie poster, Sony logo, President Obama
  • the interview hollywood tweets
  • Team America World Police
  • The Interview movie poster, Sony logo, President Obama
  • Mike Myers as Dr. Evil on "The Interview."
  • reince priebus chief of staff donald trump health care bill punt end zone football twitter
  • Sony attorney David Boies
  • sony hack email nightmare
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As Sony CEO Michael Lynton prepares to exit, here’s TheWrap’s blow-by-blow of 2014’s devastating cyberattack on the studio

As Sony CEO Michael Lynton announces his resignation, let's look back at one of the darkest periods of his tenure: the Sony hack. 

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