It’s been a dizzying few days for news about hackers demanding ransom. It’s hard to tell which events are connected. But according to multiple reports, hackers are threatening to leak a major film owned by Disney, and sources tell Deadline that the movie is Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man Tell No Tales.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney CEO Bob Iger informed employees at a town hall meeting on Monday that the company is working with federal investigators on the ransom case and that the “huge sum” will not be paid. Iger didn’t say what title could be potentially leaked, but with the new film in the Pirates franchise set for release on May 26th, it would be a very ripe target. According to the CEO, the perpetrators of the crime informed Disney that they would release the first five minutes of the film and continue to leak 20-minute chunks until the ransom is paid.
Rumors that a workprint of Star Wars: The Last Jedi had leaked made the rounds last week but that was ultimately deemed to be a hoax. Considering that film’s release is many months away and the fact that Disney would probably pay anything to stop it from being leaked, it’s safe to say that we’re not talking about Star Wars here.
