Warner Bros Delays 'Gangster Squad' Over Theatre Shooting Scene

Warner Bros has delayed its forthcoming movie 'Gangster Squad' because it features a shootout at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood. In the wake of the massacre in Aurora, Colorado, the studio has put the stoppers on a September 2012 release, meaning the film starring Sean Penn and Ryan Gosling will now hit cinemas in January 2013.

Trailers for the 1940s set movie have featured prominently in movies over the past couple of weeks, particularly before 'The Dark Knight Rises' (which was playing when a gunman opened fire at the cinema in Colorado, killing 12 people). In the Gangster Squad theatre scene, automatic gunfire rips through the screen as horrified filmgoers rush for the exit, according to the Los Angeles Times. The film follows gangster Mickey Cohen and his attempts to take over Los Angeles. In the wake of the real-life shooting, studio executives have been discussing re-cutting the film to minimize the shooting scene or remove it altogether. As well as Penn and Gosling, the film boasts an all-star cast including Nick Nolte, Emma Stone and Josh Brolin.

'Gangster Squad' will now be released on January 11, 2013. The only other movie scheduled for release that day is Paramount's Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, starring Jeremy Renner and GEMMA ARTETON.