Seth Rogen and James Franco’s controversial film The Interview will be released, according to Sony lawyer David Boies.

James Franco and Seth Rogen at a premiere for The Interview
Seth Rogen and James Franco’s comedy The Interview has been cancelled (Dan Steinberg/Invision/PA)

The legal representative for the film studio assured fans that the comedy will make it on screens, after cinemas pulled screenings of the movie following threats from hackers.

Boies said on NBC show Meet The Press: “Sony only delayed this. Sony has been fighting to get this picture distributed. It will be distributed. How it’s going to be distributed, I don’t think anybody knows quite yet. But it’s going to be distributed.”

There are rumours that the film, which stars Seth and James Franco as journalists who travel to North Korea to interview – and assassinate – leader Kim Jong-Un, will be given a lifeline by online streaming sites such as Crackle and Netflix.

Peer-to-peer file distribution network BitTorrent has also offered the studio an alternative, telling TechCrunch: “BitTorrent Bundle is in fact the very best way for Sony to take back control of their film, not acquiesce to terrorists threats, and to ensure a wide audience can view the film safely. It would also strike a strong note for free speech.”

Sony Pictures chairman Michael Lynton had said that The Interview was having difficulty finding a streaming or VOD (video on demand) partner, telling CNN: “There has not been one major VOD – video on demand distributor – one major e-commerce site that has stepped forward and said they are willing to distribute this movie for us…”

A picture of James Franco and Seth Rogen at a Walk of Fame ceremony in LA
James Franco and Seth Rogen (Nina Prommer/AP)

Sony’s decision not to release the film on its planned date of Christmas Day comes after the studio was targeted by a group of hackers, calling themselves Guardians of Peace. All signs of The Interview have been removed from its websites including the official Facebook and Twitter pages, and its trailer has been taken off YouTube.

The Obama administration has formally accused the North Korean government of being responsible for the devastating hacking attack.