Christmas miracle: The Interview is coming to YouTube!

The movie will also be available to rent on Google Play, as well as for Xbox Video customers

It seems like so long ago that our greatest fear was going to come true: that we'd never get to see the Seth Rogen/James Franco comedy The Interview. Or, at least, never see it legally (not that I would ever torrent a movie. Shame on you for even thinking that....)

But oh how things have changed in just the last 24 hours. First Sony released the movie back into the wild, giving permission to  any theater that wanted to show it. (That means that it will wind up in independent theaters, as the big chains, of course, were the ones that turned yellow in the first place, and had already given those screens away).

And now comes word that the movie is going to be released online. Honestly, that always seemed like the most likely scenario; the only question was where. I would have put my money on Crackle, the streaming site owned by Sony. Instead, the studio seems to have come to a deal with Google to show it on their platforms.

First it was reported by CNN on Wednesday that the studio had entered into a tentative agreement to allow people to rent the movie off of YouTube.

CNN exclusive: YouTube has tentatively agreed to make "The Interview" available as a movie rental. More here shortly: https://t.co/NYuUR8gKil

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) December 24, 2014

Now comes word from Re/Code that it will also be available to be rented out from the Google Play Store as well.

Of course, none of this is official yet, and details are scarce. There is no mention of when, exactly, the movie will be made available (though Christmas seems likely), nor how much it is going to cost. 

VatorNews has reached out to both Sony and Google for confirmation and comment on the developing story, but neither was immediately available to respond because it's, you know, Christmas Eve. We will update this story if we learn more, or if there are more developments.

Since it's nearly Christmas, indulge me a little and allow to  get serious for a second.

While putting the movie online will obviously help Sony in the short run, this whole incident has likely caused huge, long-term damage to the reputations of the both the studio and Hollywood in general.  And showed how easily right can crumble in the face of fear.

Let's be clear here: what this incident showed was how tentative the First Amendment is, how precarious our right to free speech and free expression can be, and how easily corporations can be kowtowed by just a little bit of threatening. 

I will say, though, that I am proud of how many people I saw who understood that defending what may amount to be the lowest of art is as important the highest of art. Despite some grumblings of the "Come on, it's a James Franco movie!" variety, the majority of people seemed to understand what was at stake by letting someone's creative work get trampled. 

So kudos to us for not letting a foreign dictator scare us over our right to see a stupid movie! Happy holidays everyone!

Update: Google has made the announcement official in a blog post, in which is says that Sony approached the company about putting the movie online.

Though Google was worried about "the security implications," it also determined that the free speech implications of releasing the film were more important.

Here is the blog post in it's entirety:

"Last Wednesday Sony began contacting a number of companies, including Google, to ask if we’d be able to make their movie, "The Interview," available online. We'd had a similar thought and were eager to help—though given everything that’s happened, the security implications were very much at the front of our minds. 

Of course it was tempting to hope that something else would happen to ensure this movie saw the light of day. But after discussing all the issues, Sony and Google agreed that we could not sit on the sidelines and allow a handful of people to determine the limits of free speech in another country (however silly the content might be). 

So starting at 10 a.m. PST in the U.S., you can rent or buy "The Interview" on Google Play and YouTube Movies. It will also be available to Xbox Video customers and via www.seetheinterview.com."

There was no mention of price, but many outlets, including CNN, are reporting that users will be able to rent the movie for $6 and buy it for $15. We will once again update when we can confirm those details are accurate.

Update #2:

Sony has released a statement of its own, according to the AP, with Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton saying, that "It has always been Sony's intention to have a national platform on which to release this film."

"We never stopped pursuing as wide a release as possible for 'The Interview.' It was essential for our studio to release this movie, especially given the assault upon our business and our employees by those who wanted to stop free speech," he said. "We chose the path of digital distribution first so as to reach as many people as possible on opening day, and we continue to seek other partners and platforms to further expand the release."

Lynton also acknowlegded that simply releasing the film will not be the end of this story.

"No doubt the issues we have confronted these last few weeks will not end with this release, but we are gratified to have stood together and confident in our future. I want to thank everyone at Sony Pictures for their dedication and perseverance through what has been an extraordinary and difficult time." 

(Image source: bizionline.com)