Hollywood actor, writer, and director Seth Rogen has criticised Sony Pictures after the film studio revealed it would be re-releasing numerous comedic films scrapped clean of all foul language and explicit material.
As part of its new ‘Clean Version’ initiative, Sony Pictures executives have announced that the more censor-friendly versions of films like Step Brothers, Easy A, and Big Daddy will be cleaned up for broadcast on aeroplanes.
Other dramas, including Captain Phillips, Elysium, and Moneyball will also have mature content, such as explicit violence, removed for versions to be made available on streaming platforms like iTunes.
The studio has also revealed that the new ‘cleaned-up’ versions will be made available to stream alongside the originals; the film studio plans to create the less provocative versions appear like a DVD or Blu-ray extra. When a consumer purchases one of the films online, the cleaner version will be included in the purchase package, with both available for the price of one.
“The Clean Version allows viewing for a wider audience, giving people the chance to watch their favourite films together,” a statement reads.
Seth Rogen, whose 2014 release The Interview saw Sony Pictures subjected to a hacking attack by North Korean cyber terrorists, has come out against the move.
Holy shit please don't do this to our movies. Thanks. https://t.co/0lpoESaIQd
— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) June 6, 2017
Known for many explicit comedies, none of Rogen’s œuvre is listed among the films Sony intends to tidy up.
Sony Pictures’ decision comes six months after the family-oriented streaming service VidAngel was instructed by a US federal judge to cease operations. The company had been facilitating the broadcast of copyrighted material from Disney, Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox, with stripped back streams editing out the bad language and nudity.
