Disney: Criminals threaten to put film online if ransom is not paid

Disney CEO Bob Iger has said that criminals are pressuring the company to pay ransom. They threaten to put a film from the studio online if payment is not forthcoming. It may be the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

The Hollywood Reporter site writes that Iger announced in a meeting in New York on Monday that Disney is refusing to pay the ransom. He himself did not disclose the title of the film. The information that it concerns the most recent ‘Pirates’ film comes from the Deadline site, which relies on its own sources. Disney announced that it is working with the FBI to find out who is responsible for the theft.

The criminals would threaten to put parts of the film online if Disney decides not to pay the ransom. According to the company, they first want to put five minutes of film material online, followed by pieces of twenty minutes. It is not known what amount is being requested, according to the studio it concerns a ‘huge amount’ in bitcoin.

Recently, thieves were already able to steal the fifth season of the Netflix series Orange Is The New Black. In that case, they also demanded ransom. They eventually put the full season online, after uploading a single episode first. The responsible group, which calls itself TheDarkOverlord, said it was in possession of more film material without going into the exact titles.