After all the debate about whether or not The Interview, the controversial film about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un staring James Franco and Seth Rogen, would get a cinema release in the US, Sony has now announced that it has done a deal with Google bypassing cinemas and letting anyone download the movie via Google Play or YouTube Movies.

In a statement on Google's blog, the search engine said:

"Last Wednesday Sony began contacting a number of companies, including Google, to ask if we’d be able to make their movie, The Interview, available online. We'd had a similar thought and were eager to help - though given everything that’s happened, the security implications were very much at the front of our minds."

David Drummond, Google's SVP Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer goes on to say:

"Of course it was tempting to hope that something else would happen to ensure this movie saw the light of day. But after discussing all the issues, Sony and Google agreed that we could not sit on the sidelines and allow a handful of people to determine the limits of free speech in another country (however silly the content might be)."

The outcome? Anyone can now download the movie to watch on their own device without the fear of being threatened about going to the cinema to see it.

The film, which so far far been panned by the critics in America, is sure to now become a must watch movie, even just so you can say you've seen it.

The film costs $5.99 (£3.80) to rent, or $14.99 to buy, Sony said. It is not available in the UK.