Disney CEO: Hackers claim to have upcoming film

Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger on Monday revealed that hackers claim to have accessed one of the company’s upcoming movies.

Iger added the hackers are threatening to release the film unless the studio pays a ransom, The Hollywood Reporter reported. 

Iger did not disclose the movie’s title, but noted that Disney is refusing to pay the ransom, The Hollywood Reporter added. 

Iger said the hackers are demanding a large ransom via Bitcoin, vowing to release the first five minutes of the movie and then additional 20-minute segments until their demands are satisfied.

Disney is working with federal investigators, he said town hall meeting with ABC employees in New York City, according to the report. 

The company’s future theatrical release schedule includes “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” this Friday and “Cars 3” on June 16.

Rumors surfaced last week that hackers were demanding a ransom for a pirate copy of “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” Disney refused comment on the matter, it said, which online chatter ultimately debunked as a hoax.

A hacker last month leaked the upcoming season of Netflix’s popular TV show “Orange is the New Black” after the company refused to meet the hacker’s ransom demand.

The first 10 episodes of the show’s fifth season were reportedly shared on the file-sharing site Pirate Bay by a hacker going by “thedarkoverlord.”

“Thedarkoverlord” purportedly demanded money from Netflix in exchange for not leaking the episodes before their originally scheduled June 9 release date.

The person or persons behind the moniker said that it has also obtained unreleased shows from other major networks including ABC, Fox, National Geographic and IFC.