Seth Rogen’s The Interview moved to Christmas, when only grinchy dictatorships would retaliate

Sony has pledged to give everyone what they really want this Christmas—the murder of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un—by moving the Seth Rogen/James Franco comedy The Interview from October 10 to December 25. “The combination of Seth, Evan [Goldberg], and James is pure comedic magic,” said Rory Bruer, Sony’s president of worldwide distribution, who now hopes to combine that with the magics of Christmas and political assassination. Bruer adds that early test screenings have been so encouraging, they’re confident in shifting the film to “one of the most important moviegoing days of the year,” where it will act as a programming alternative to fare like Into The Woods and Paddington, which don’t feature any assassination attempts. Not even Paddington, which could certainly use it.

Of course, another possible explanation for the move could be North Korea’s vow of a “merciless” retaliation for a movie it regards as an act of war. “Gee, Mr. North Korea, you can’t attack us! It’s Christmas!” America will say, turning its dewy eyes westward. And Kim Jong-un’s heart will grow three sizes that day, and all will be forgiven.