Warner Bros. has pulled its TV and radio spots for The Dark Knight Rises in the aftermath of Friday’s shooting tragedy in Aurora, Colorado.
The extraordinary move comes as the studio undergoes a crisis-driven reevaluation of its marketing campaign for the Christopher Nolan Batman pic in the wake of the mass shooting that left 12 dead and 59 wounded.
According to Variety, “The decision to pull millions of dollars worth of spots on the pic’s opening weekend is a vivid illustration of how significant an impact the mass shooting will have on the tentpole that had been the cornerstone of Warner Bros.’ summer movie sked.”
Furthermore, according to The Wrap, Warner Bros. may remove the film from theaters entirely.
The Paris premiere – which Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale, and Anne Hathaway were expected to attend – has already been cancelled, and executives are deciding how to go forward with screening schedules in the US.
A decision on whether to alter the film’s release schedule is expected to be made today or over the weekend.