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'Team America' protest screenings shut down by studio

Posted at 3:12 PM, Dec 18, 2014
and last updated 2014-12-18 16:46:12-05

"Team America" won't be coming to save the day this time.

Paramount Pictures has squashed an attempt by some movie theaters to screen a 10 year old film that parodies North Korea.

Theaters wanted to show “Team America: World Police,” a 2004 marionette comedy by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, to protest Sony's cancellation of “The Interview,” which was to premiere on Christmas.

Hackers threatened cinemas that screened “The Interview” because the Seth Rogen and James Franco comedy was about assassinating North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. They also leaked sensitive data from Sony.

The cult classic “Team America” prominently featured Kim Jong Un’s father – then the leader of North Korea – Kim Jong Il. The movie ends with Kim Jong Il’s death by impalement.

Then, a cockroach crawls out of his mouth and flies away in a spaceship.

It’s a weird movie.

Gavin Stern is a national digital producer for the Scripps National Desk. Follow him on twitter at @GavinStern.