Ransom demanded for Disney’s ‘stolen’ film

Film studio Disney has revealed that hackers have threatened to leak one of the studio’s upcoming films unless the studio pays a ransom. Disney CEO Bob Iger said on Monday that the hackers demanded a “huge sum” to be paid in Bitcoin, or they will release parts of the film, in 20 minute segments, until the money comes through. Though Iger did not mention the film in question, Deadline reported that it is Pirates of the Caribbean franchise’s latest instalment Dead Men Tell No Tales. Disney has decided to not pay the ransom, instead the studio is working with US federal agents to monitor any online leaks. Dead Men Tell No Tales, the fifth instalment of the Pirates franchise, stars Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow who return to the ocean alongside Geoffrey Rush and Orlando Bloom. The film is due to be released in cinemas in the US on May 26. This is not the first time a film studio is being threatened with online leaks. Last month, a hackers’ group leaked the fifth season of Orange is the New Black after it’s producing company Netflix refused to pay the demanded money. Film writers and journalists speculated on social media that it could be Pixar’s Cars 3, which is slated to come out in June, or the next Star Wars flick The Last Jedi, with a premiere date set for December. Ryan Parker, a writer from the Hollywood Reporter, posted on Twitter, “If it were Last Jedi, he would pay in a heartbeat. But Pirates... meh.” While the Pirates franchise is one of Disney’s most lucrative, with a gross of $3.7bn since the first one premiered, it bears no comparison to the threat of a leaked Star Wars movie. The Force Awakens alone scored over $2bn worldwide, with The Last Jedi expected to beat its predecessor.