‘Neighborhood Watch’ promos axed after Florida killing

Fox cancels marketing campaign after teenager Trayvon Martin was shot dead

The marketing campaign for forthcoming alien comedy Neighborhood Watch has been axed following the shooting in Florida of teenager Trayvon Martin.

20th Century Fox have decided to remove posters across the US for the film, which stars Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill and Richard Aoyade. Martin was recently shot and killed by neighbourhood watch member George Zimmerman, who has not been arrested, as he cited self-defence, causing controversy across the US.

The Neighborhood Watch teaser poster shows a street sign that has been hit by bullets, while the trailer sees Hill pretending to shoot a group of teenagers with his hand. The studio has now moved on to its second phase of advertising, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

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A spokesperson said: “We are very sensitive to the Trayvon Martin case, but our film is a broad alien invasion comedy and bears absolutely no relation to the tragic events in Florida.

“The movie, which is not scheduled for release for several months, was made and these initial marketing materials were released before this incident ever came to light. The teaser materials were part of an early phase of marketing and were never planned for long-term use. Above all else, our thoughts go out to the families touched by this terrible event.”

Neighborhood Watch is released in the UK on August 22. The trailer is below.

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