Warner Bros. reportedly removing ‘Gangster Squad’ theater sequence in response to TDKR shooting

In response to the horrific events that occurred during the midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado, Warner Bros. has decided to remove the eerily similar theater scene from their upcoming film Gangster Squad.

The film, due to open on September 7, contains a sequence in which "agents spray machine-gun fire into a crowded movie theater from behind the screen". While it was definitely an iconic scene, and one that stood out in the trailer for the film, it clearly touches a little too close the massacre that recently took place.

Recognizing this, Warner Bros. reacted quickly in pulling the most recent trailer with the scene out of theaters, but has since been faced with the difficult decision to delay the release of the movie or cut the theater sequence entirely from the film and reshoot in a way that won't be too disturbing for theater-goers.

According to a source "with knowledge of the situation", Warner Bros. has opted to the remove the current sequence, which has been described as a key scene in the film, and reshoot it. Hoping to stay on track for the film's September 7 release, Warner Bros. has already scheduled a reshoot.

While the decision is likely a costly one for the studio, it's undoubtedly the right one. I can't say for sure if it will pan out in the end, but I think for a studio caught in a bind, it's really the only thing they can do. Sitting on the film and waiting longer to release it will likely kill the hype for it. The best thing they could do, in my opinion, was a re-filming. I just think it's nice that a giant studio is, for once, showing compassion towards the victims of a tragic event.

[Variety]