Mitt Romney actually has a pretty good idea for what Sony should do with The Interview

(Image credit: David Ryder/Getty Images)

last updated 8 January 2015

Sony Pictures couldn't buy this kind of publicity for its all-but-scrapped North Korean comedy The Interview — though the hack it apparently sparked may well end up being the costliest cyberattack on a business ever. Mitt Romney, the once and maybe future GOP presidential candidate, has a very plausible plan that would allow Sony to cleanse itself of some of the stench of defeat:

If North Korea really brought Sony Pictures to its knees over the movie, and got The Interview pulled from theatrical release through threats of terrorism, just to keep people from seeing leader Kim Jong Un fictionally assassinated on-screen, then why not give the world what North Korea doesn't want? The Interview, after all, is one of the few pilfered Sony films the hackers didn't leak online. And if Sony is scared of further reprisal, there are ways the movie could show up online without the studio's fingerprints. That would dampen Sony's public redemption, but sometimes revenge is a dish best served with a side of plausible deniability. Just ask North Korea.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.