Disney CEO Bob Iger has revealed that hackers have threatened to leak one of their upcoming films unless a ransom is paid. Though Iger did not reveal the name of the film it is believed to be Disney’s latest Pirates filmDea d Men Tell No Tales. Iger said Disney is working with the FBI, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Iger reportedly made these comments during the town hall meeting with ABC employees in New York City, THR said citing multiple sources.
The hackers have demanded an enormous amount of money via online currency Bitcoin. They have threatened to release five minutes of the film at first, and then in 20-minute chunks until their financial demands are met.
Hacking of unreleased content is the latest problem that the showbiz industry, which has long struggled with online piracy, is facing. The ransom demand for the Disney movie is not an isolated case as Netflix recently faced a similar situation when their popular show Orange Is The New Black was leaked online.
The hackers had demanded money and when Netflix refused to pay, they released the episodes weeks before its official launch.The fifth instalment of the highly-profitable Pirates franchise stars Javier Bardem as the villain opposite Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow. Other Pirates favourites set to return include Orlando Bloom as Will Turner, Keira Knightly as Elizabeth Swann and Geoffrey Rush as Captain Hector Barbossa.
