Hacker group saying it attacked Sony pushes for Seth Rogen comedy not to be released

A group that claimed to be responsible for the massive computer hack at Sony Pictures Entertainment demanded that the company cancel the release of The Interview, a comedy that depicts an assassination plot against North Korea's leader.

A letter posted on a file-sharing site on Monday asked Sony to "stop immediately showing the movie of terrorism which can break the regional peace and cause the War!" It was signed by GOP, the nickname for the "Guardians of Peace" group that says it is responsible for a cyber attack at Sony that began Nov. 24.

Pyongyang has denounced The Interview as "undisguised sponsoring of terrorism, as well as an act of war" in a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

People close to the investigation of the Sony hacking have told Reuters that North Korea is a principal suspect, but a North Korean diplomat has denied that his nation is involved.

The letter included links to downloads of several gigabytes of new data purported to have been stolen from Sony. Reuters was not able to verify whether the letter or documents were released by the same group that revealed other Sony documents.

The letter also said the GOP was not involved in a threatening e-mail sent to Sony staff on Friday. That e-mail claimed to be from the group.

A Sony spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment. Sony Pictures Entertainment is a unit of Japan's Sony Corp.

The Interview, starring James Franco and Seth Rogen, is scheduled for release in the United States and Canada on Dec. 25. The studio is holding advance screenings for media and others.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine and Jim Finkle; Editing by Dan Grebler)