Martin Scorsese Says Sony Hack Over Seth Rogen Comedy 'Ruined' His Angelina Jolie Cleopatra Film

Martin Scorsese has blamed the fallout from the 2014 Sony Pictures hack for collapsing his planned Cleopatra epic with Angelina Jolie, saying the cyber-attack triggered by Seth Rogen's North Korea comedy The Interview 'ruined everything' for the film.

The director, 83, made the remarks in the first episode of Tribeca's new series Crafty, speaking to his daughter Francesca. He said the political and corporate turmoil that followed the breach effectively killed his take on the Egyptian queen.

'We were gonna do Cleopatra at one point, and then they made fun of [Kim Jong Un], and he got mad and blew up everybody at Columbia,' Scorsese said. 'Seth Rogen, right? And then he got mad, and [it] ruined Cleopatra.'

He did not suggest Rogen was personally responsible for the film's demise. When Francesca said she was 'so mad' it never happened, he replied: 'Well, tell Seth, because they ruined everything. Just because Kim Jong Un doesn't have a sense of humour.'

Sony has not publicly responded to the comments. It is unclear whether the studio ever considered reviving the project, and Scorsese's account of events has not been independently verified.

Cleopatra Film Lost in Sony Hack Fallout, Says Martin Scorsese

According to Martin Scorsese, the film was being developed at Columbia Pictures, part of Sony Pictures, with Jolie attached to play Cleopatra VII. Veteran screenwriter Eric Roth was working on the script. Roth later co-wrote Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) with Scorsese, which took about $157 million (€146 million and £129 million) at the global box office.

'We were gonna do it. Angelina Jolie. We were going. She was gonna be Cleopatra VII. It was gonna be really wild,' Scorsese said.

He also joked at a separate Tribeca event with his daughter that he had long wanted to make a 'big Roman epic' but had 'missed it', adding that Ridley Scott 'has now done them all'.

How the Sony Hack Engulfed Martin Scorsese's Cleopatra

The attack in November 2014 crippled Sony's computer systems. Hackers published confidential financial documents and unreleased films, along with thousands of internal emails. The FBI attributed the attack to North Korea, which denied involvement.

The Interview, directed by Rogen and Evan Goldberg, follows a television host, played by James Franco, and his producer, played by Rogen, who are recruited by the CIA to assassinate Kim Jong Un. It was released that December.

Among the leaked messages were emails in which the producer Scott Rudin described Jolie to Amy Pascal, then Sony Pictures co-chair, as 'a minimally talented spoiled brat'. Rudin's remarks were made privately and published without his consent.

In the aftermath, Sony delayed projects, reviewed deals and reshuffled executives. Scorsese did not say precisely why Cleopatra ended, but he placed it among the casualties of that period.

Scorsese and Rogen have since appeared on screen together. Scorsese played himself in the first episode of Rogen's Apple TV comedy The Studio, which launched in 2025. Rogen plays Matt Remick, a studio boss who ends up derailing a project Scorsese is desperate to make.