New hacked emails from Sony indicate Lionsgate executives had floated the idea of a possible merger with Sony earlier this summer. According to a report from Bloomberg News, Lionsgate vice chairman Michael Burns reached out to Sony CEO Kazuo Hira requesting a meeting, but Hira decline the request for a sitdown.
“Given our entertainment business strategy, I don’t believe a meeting with me would be fruitful,” Hirai wrote. “However we are always interested in the possibility of smart collaboration between studios at the operational level.”
*See photos:* Sony Hack Attack: A Timeline of the Cyberbreach and Leaks (So Far)
Burns also contacted Sony Corp. president Nicole Seligman, according to an email she sent to entertainment division CEO Michael Lynton. She wrote that Burns wanted to “toss around ideas about a possible merger or acquisition.”
*Also read:* TheWrap’s Sharon Waxman Debates Legal, Ethical Issues of Sony Hack on CNN (Video)
Billionaire investor Daniel Loeb had been urging Sony to partially spin off its entertainment business and told Seligman that Lionsgate top brass wanted to meet with Hirai, according to the same hacked email from Seligman to Lynton. Lynton responded that it could be “very disruptive” if the “lionsgate stuff gets out.”
Representatives from Sony and Lionsgate have not yet responded to TheWrap’s request for comment.
*Also read:* Sony Hit With New Class Action Lawsuit Claiming Negligence
Sony’s ongoing cyberattack has disclosed several documents so far, including internal conversations between key figures within the studio. As TheWrap previously reported, both Sony co-chair Amy Pascal and producer Soctt Rudin publicly apologized for the content of leaked emails that included racially insensitive jokes about President Obama.
The studio’s upcoming movie, “The Interview,” starring James Franco and Seth Rogen, has been at the center of the controversy. On Tuesday, hackers threatened to carry out Sep. 11th-like attacks on theaters that screened the movie. ArcLight Cinemas and Carmike Theaters have both announced that they will not premiere the comedy about the assassination of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
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Sony is reeling from being hacked, but Hollywood has been producing stories around cyber crime for years. Here are 11 of the most memorable.
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“Given our entertainment business strategy, I don’t believe a meeting with me would be fruitful,” Hirai wrote. “However we are always interested in the possibility of smart collaboration between studios at the operational level.”
*See photos:* Sony Hack Attack: A Timeline of the Cyberbreach and Leaks (So Far)
Burns also contacted Sony Corp. president Nicole Seligman, according to an email she sent to entertainment division CEO Michael Lynton. She wrote that Burns wanted to “toss around ideas about a possible merger or acquisition.”
*Also read:* TheWrap’s Sharon Waxman Debates Legal, Ethical Issues of Sony Hack on CNN (Video)
Billionaire investor Daniel Loeb had been urging Sony to partially spin off its entertainment business and told Seligman that Lionsgate top brass wanted to meet with Hirai, according to the same hacked email from Seligman to Lynton. Lynton responded that it could be “very disruptive” if the “lionsgate stuff gets out.”
Representatives from Sony and Lionsgate have not yet responded to TheWrap’s request for comment.
*Also read:* Sony Hit With New Class Action Lawsuit Claiming Negligence
Sony’s ongoing cyberattack has disclosed several documents so far, including internal conversations between key figures within the studio. As TheWrap previously reported, both Sony co-chair Amy Pascal and producer Soctt Rudin publicly apologized for the content of leaked emails that included racially insensitive jokes about President Obama.
The studio’s upcoming movie, “The Interview,” starring James Franco and Seth Rogen, has been at the center of the controversy. On Tuesday, hackers threatened to carry out Sep. 11th-like attacks on theaters that screened the movie. ArcLight Cinemas and Carmike Theaters have both announced that they will not premiere the comedy about the assassination of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
** 11 Hollywood Hacker Movies: From an Angelina Jolie Stinker to a Potential Oscar Winner (Video) **
·
Previous ; Next
1 of 1
Sony is reeling from being hacked, but Hollywood has been producing stories around cyber crime for years. Here are 11 of the most memorable.
*Related stories from TheWrap:*
'Birdman' Duo Michael Keaton, Alejandro González Iñárritu on Sony Hack Attack: 'It's a Perfect Satire' (Video)
Rival Studios Fuming at Sony for Not Yanking 'Interview' in Wake of Hackers' Threats, Insiders Say (Exclusive)
Senator Dianne Feinstein on Sony Hack Attack: 'Perpetrators Must Be Brought to Justice' (Exclusive) Reported by The Wrap 4 hours ago.