Martin Scorsese Explains How Seth Rogen “Ruined” His ‘Cleopatra’ Film: “Kim Jong Un Doesn’t Have A Sense Of Humor”
Martin Scorsese says the 2014 Sony hack, which followed the release of Seth Rogen’s comedy *The Interview*, derailed his planned film about Cleopatra. He says the project was ready to go and would have starred Angelina Jolie, highlighting how the cyberattack’s fallout reached well beyond the film at its centre.
Scorsese recalled that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was angered by the film’s portrayal of him and that the attack hit Columbia Pictures, which was set to make *Cleopatra*. Jolie was to play Cleopatra VII, and Scorsese described the project as “really wild”. He and Rogen have since worked together, with Scorsese appearing in the first episode of Rogen’s Apple TV series *The Studio*.
In short
- Scorsese says the Sony hack killed his planned *Cleopatra* film.
- Angelina Jolie was set to play Cleopatra VII.
- The hack followed the release of Rogen’s *The Interview*.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The film’s cancellation can be seen as an indirect cost of the cyberattack and the corporate fallout around it: a ready-to-go production with a major cast lost its backing after the studio was targeted. From this perspective, the incident shows how intimidation and security crises can chill creative projects far beyond their original subject.
The case against
A studio facing a serious cyberattack could reasonably reassess its finances, security and priorities, even if that meant shelving a costly film; the report does not establish that the attack was the sole reason Cleopatra did not proceed. The project’s fate may therefore reflect ordinary production and business decisions as well as the hack’s wider fallout, rather than a direct act of censorship.
Explained simply
Cleopatra VII was the last active ruler of ancient Egypt’s Ptolemaic dynasty. Martin Scorsese, the American film-maker, planned a film about her with Angelina Jolie in the lead role.
In 2014, Sony Pictures Entertainment was hit by a major cyberattack after the release of The Interview, a comedy starring Seth Rogen that depicts an attempt to kill North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The attack affected Sony and its film studio Columbia Pictures, which was due to make Scorsese’s film. The episode illustrates how a dispute over one film can have consequences for other projects at the same company.
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