Yesterday we learned that an unfinished workprint version of the new film X-Men Origins: Wolverine was leaked to the Internets and immediately made its way around the world one month ahead of the film’s opening in theaters. As a result, the movie studio quickly put the clamp down on the leak and has removed all copies of the film (that they could find) from various online sites. Also, the US Federal Bureau of Investigations has been enlisted to determine the source of the leak so that that party (or parties) can be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Thus far, the leak seems to have originated in Australia … but the FBI is still lookin’ to find the particular varmint responsible for leaking the film:

The FBI are investigating the online leak of an almost finished copy of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a month before the film’s cinema release. The Hugh Jackman film was downloaded an estimated several 100,000 times from file sharing websites on Tuesday. 20th Century Fox confirmed the copy had now been removed and the FBI informed. The studio behind Wolverine stated: “The source of the initial leak and any subsequent postings will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” “The courts have handed down significant criminal sentences for such acts” the studio noted. Both the FBI and the Motion Picture Association of America are “actively investigating” the crime. The film is not due for release until 29 April in the UK and 1 May in the US. Fox called the leaked movie a “stolen, incomplete and early version”. Viewers reported that green screens and wires attached to actors were still visible. One user wrote on film website aintitcool.com: “The CGI is missing and the movie looks horrible without it. “Even if you see the workprint you’re still going to have to go see it in the theatre to fully experience the full movie with CGI effects fully intact.” Fox confirmed the film “was without many effects and had missing scenes and temporary sound and music.” A statement from the studio said that once the film was discovered online they “immediately contacted the appropriate legal authorities and had it removed”. The studio added that because their content is forensically marked they should be able to trace the person who uploaded it. A brief caption at the beginning of the film reads ‘Rising Sun Pictures’ and is dated 2 March, 2009. According to its website, Rising Sun Pictures is an Australian visual effects company that worked on the film and is currently working on production of Terminator Salvation. However, there is no evidence to suggest the company was involved in the leak. The Federation Against Copyright Theft said a leak of this kind was extremely unusual as pre-release security had been tightened in recent years. Access to a whole film is severely restricted, with post production workers being given small portions of the movie to work on and measures put in place to stop it being copied on to disc. Spokesperson Eddy Leviten explained: “No-one working on a film in any capacity wants to see their hard work released through illegal means – piracy is not a fun thing.” Although several reviews of the incomplete film have appeared online, Fox was quick to praise the reaction of web users to the leak. “We are encouraged by the support of fansites condemning piracy and this illegal posting and pointing out that such theft undermines the enormous efforts of the filmmakers and actors and, above all, hurts fans of the film” the studio said.

I’m pretty sure that investigators are gonna sniff out the source of the leak and I’m SURE that whoever is responsible will be made an example of. This leak is a huge blow to the filmmakers of this movie and to the entire Motion Picture Association as a whole. They must find and punish the guilty party to dissuade others from attempting to pull off the same coup. Again, I can understand some people’s curiosity but for me the real fun is seeing the finished, polished product on the big screen … with a huge bucket of popcorn and an obscene cup of Coca-Cola. Bootlegged or unfinished versions of films are so … cheap. As a movie fan, I’d much prefer to pay to see the finished product in the form it was meant to be seen.

[Source]