amid threats of 9/11-style attack: report

Embattled Sony Pictures has canceled the Manhattan premiere for its newest comedy “The Interview,” according to a report Tuesday. Security is seen outside The Theatre at Ace Hotel before the premiere of the film ‘The Interview’ in Los Angeles on Thursday.

Security is seen outside The Theatre at Ace Hotel before the premiere of the film ‘The Interview’ in Los Angeles on Thursday.

The flick, featuring Seth Rogen and James Franco, had attracted all the wrong sort of attention heading up to the planned Thursday showcase — prompting studio execs to pull the plug, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The shadowy group that claimed responsibility for the recent Sony Entertainment Pictures hacking scandal had vowed a 9/11-style attack at the Thursday premiere, slated for the Sunshine Cinema on E. Houston St. James Franco (l.) and Seth Rogen (r.) at the Los Angeles premiere of 'The Interview' last week.

James Franco (l.) and Seth Rogen (r.) at the Los Angeles premiere of 'The Interview' last week.

Sony executives told theater owners they wouldn’t object if they decided not to run the movie, several news outlets reported Tuesday night.

The twisted cyber terrorists — who are apparently backed by North Korea — threatened “bitter fate” to those who attend showings of the film, including its New York City opening.

Both the NYPD and the FBI were investigating the looming threat.

Diana Bang with Dave (James Franco) and Aaron (Seth Rogen) in Columbia Pictures' ‘The Interview.’

Earlier Tuesday NYPD officials said they were evaluating whether to cancel the Thursday premiere.

“We’re evaluating it at this point,” John Miller, the NYPD’s deputy commissioner for counterterrorism and intelligence, had said. “One of the things you look to is what is the specificity and credibility of the threat. Part of that is understanding what is the sources of the threat.”

The NYPD had been ready to beef up its presence at the premiere. The Department of Homeland Security was also looking into the threat. The film’s Dec. 11 Los Angeles debut went off without a hitch.

Shortly after the hackers dubbing themselves the Guardians of Peace issued the warning Tuesday, Rogen and Franco canceled an appearance at BuzzFeed.com.

The hackers promised a “bitter fate ... those who seek fun in terror should be doomed to.”

“The world will be full of fear,” reads the warning, first published by the Los Angeles Times. “Remember the 11th of September 2001. We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time.”

The hackers added, “Whatever comes in the coming days is called by the greed of Sony Pictures Entertainment. All the world will denounce the SONY.”

Authorities suspect North Korea is behind the hacking due to the film depicting the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The communist regime has denied any connection to the hacking.

The hackers on Tuesday released 32,000 emails to and from Sony entertainment chief Michael Lynton, calling the latest dump a “Christmas gift.”

In a new email published by Radar Online, Amy Pascal, co-chairwoman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, apparently compares the trend of movie stars taking TV roles to actresses like Angelina Jolie and Sandra Bullock adopting black children.