Warner Bros. Likely To Push 'Gangster Squad' To 2013

Warner Bros. is scrambling to rework the Ruben Fleischer film Gangster Squad in the wake of the awful movie theater murder spree that took place in Aurora, CO last week. The tipping point for the film is a climactic sequence in which a mobster fires through a movie screen into the film's audience. It's an image that would be provocative no matter the context, but is currently far too similar to the events in Aurora, which is making WB nervous.

The film was set to open Sept. 7, and Warner Bros. quickly huddled up to discuss delaying and/or recutting the film. Originally, the plan was to do some reshoots to facilitate cutting the scene in question. But with just a month to go, there isn't time enough to shoot new material, and so the film is going to be reshot, edited, and delayed.

THR says Warner Bros. is looking at a January 11 release, though that date isn't yet locked in.

The date isn't set at this point because there are quite a few factors in play. As the trade says, WB needs to worry about "how quickly the cast can be reassembled for the reshoot, concerns about cast availibility to do press in January and the competition on the calendar."

January 11 looks good at the moment in part because there is next to no competition, the only other release on that day being the Jeremy Renner/Gemma Arterton action fantasy Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters.

Gangster Squad stars Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn and Josh Brolin.