Actor Johnny Depp arrives on the red carpet for the global premiere of the film "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales", in Shanghai, China.
REUTERS/Aly Song
One of Disney’s biggest summer blockbusters has been pirated, with reports indicating that the film in question is, appropriately enough, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney CEO Robert Iger revealed during a town hall with employees that one of the studio’s movies had been stolen by hackers, who demanded a huge ransom in exchange for not dumping the highly anticipated film on the Internet in advance of its release.
Although Iger didn’t specify which movie had been pilfered, Deadline is reporting that the pirated film is actually the new Pirates sequel featuring Johnny Depp’s long-awaited return to the role of Captain Jack Sparrow, which is slated to hit theatres on Friday, May 19.
Reports claim the hackers are threatening to release the first five minutes of the film online, followed by 20-minute increments, until the ransom is paid.However, Iger is reported to have said that Disney is flatly refusing to pay any ransom, and sources claim the studio is currently working with the FBI and waiting to see if the hackers make good on their threat to release the first portion of the film.This latest Hollywood hack comes just weeks after hackers pulled a similar move with Orange Is the New Black, threatening to release the entire fifth season online unless Netflix paid an undisclosed amount. Netflix, like Disney, refused to pay, resulting in the OITNB episodes landing on Pirate Bay six weeks ahead of the season’s June 9 premiere.WATCH: Movie trailer: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Movie trailer: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
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