Early ads pulled for 'Neighborhood Watch' film

[March 28, 2012]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Twentieth Century Fox has pulled early promotional materials for its comedy "Neighborhood Watch" in light of the Trayvon Martin shooting.

The studio said Tuesday that early "teaser" trailer and in-theater posters have been removed from Florida theaters and will soon be phased out nationally. The film stars Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn as suburban dads who become neighborhood watch volunteers and eventually battle aliens.

Fox stressed in a statement that the film "bears absolutely no relation to the tragic events in Florida," and said the company is "very sensitive to the Trayvon Martin case." The film is set for release in July.

Last month, the unarmed, 17-year-old Martin was fatally shot in Sanford, Fla., by neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman, causing a national firestorm and demands for Zimmerman's arrest.

[Associated Press]

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