‘Gangster Squad’ Opening Is Officially Moved to Jan. 11


Warner Bros. is expected to excise a scene involving a shooting in a movie theater

Warner Bros. has pushed the release of "Gangster Squad" from Sept. 7 to Jan. 11, 2013, individuals with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap.

The official move confirms reports in TheWrap and other outlets that the studio would shift the film's release date in the wake of the theater shooting in Aurora, Colo., last Friday.

The studio is expected to excise a scene involving a shooting in a movie theater, though an internal memo announcing the date change made no mention of the scene.

Also read: 'Gangster Squad' Trailer Pulled After 'Dark Knight Rises' Shooting

The shift to January gives audiences time to distance "Gangster Squad," set in 1940s and 1950s Los Angeles, from the tragedy in Aurora. That shooting, which left 12 dead and 58 wounded, occurred during a midnight showing of another Watner Bros. film, "The Dark Knight Rises."

A trailer for "Gangster Squad," which included the theater shooting scene, ran before many showings of "Dark Knight Rises." The studio pulled the trailer within hours of the shooting and studio officials have been working around the clock to figure out what to do with the film.

"Gangster Squad," stars Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Josh Brolin and Emma Stone, chronicles a coterie of LAPD cops who try to take down Mickey Cohen, a notorious Los Angeles gangster.

It was written by Will Beall and directed by Reuben Fleischer.