While talking about the business side of movies may seem a little trivial in light of yesterday's horrific shooting in Aurora, CO, there have been some unexpected consequences as a result of the event. For Warner Brothers, they were put in a position that no amount of PR could have prepared them for. Not only was the opening for The Dark Knight Rises forever blemished, but the future of their star-studded mob film, Gangster Squad, is also in jeopardy.
A trailer for Gangster Squad, which stars Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, and Emma stone, was attached to some showings of The Dark Knight Rises. The trailer in question features one scene where an armed mobster riddles a movie theater crowd full of bullets from behind the screen. Warner Brothers, noting the insensitivity to victims of the Colorado shooting, had the trailer pulled and are scrambling to replace it with an updated one without that scene. Deadline's Nikki Finke, who broke the story, initially took credit for Warner Brothers' decision but has since backtracked.
Some at the studio are still trying to discern if simply releasing a new trailer will be enough. The possibility of editing the scene completely out of the Ruben Fleischer-directed film is being considered, according to The LA Times. Pushing back the September 7th release date is also being considered, and upcoming test screenings have since been cancelled. The problem with removing the scene is that it is apparently a climactic moment and would significantly effect the narrative. Considerable and expensive re-shoots would be required to make up for the scene's loss. Everything is being considered at this point, but no firm decisions have been made.
This isn't the first time a real life tragedy has had an effect on a major film's development. The Ben Stiller/Vince Vaughn comedy, The Watch, was formerly titled Neighborhood Watch but was altered after the Trayvon Martin killing. A trailer for the film, which featured the main characters targeting the neighborhood kids, was also removed.
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