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The Ben Stiller comedy was called Neighbourhood Watch – but the name has been changed because of the shooting of an unarmed teenager by a neighbourhood watch captain in Florida.
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH WILL will now be known as just The Watch.
Fox said on Friday that the name of the film, starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn as suburban neighbourhood watch volunteers who uncover an extraterrestrial plot, was changed in light of the shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Florida.
As the subject matter of this alien invasion comedy bears no relation whatsoever to the recent tragic events in Florida, the studio altered the title to avoid any accidental or unintended misimpression that it might.
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Fox previously pulled early promotional materials for the movie because of the Trayvon Martin case.
The unarmed, 17-year-old Martin was fatally shot in Sanford, Florida, by neighbourhood watch captain George Zimmerman on February 26, causing a national controversy.
The Watch is set for release on 27 July in the USA.
Thursday 28 November, 2024
Thursday 28 November, 2024
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Stiller film title changed due to Trayvon murder
NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH WILL will now be known as just The Watch.
Fox said on Friday that the name of the film, starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn as suburban neighbourhood watch volunteers who uncover an extraterrestrial plot, was changed in light of the shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Florida.
Fox previously pulled early promotional materials for the movie because of the Trayvon Martin case.
The unarmed, 17-year-old Martin was fatally shot in Sanford, Florida, by neighbourhood watch captain George Zimmerman on February 26, causing a national controversy.
The Watch is set for release on 27 July in the USA.
Read: Zimmerman released on bail in Trayvon Martin killing case>
Read: Obama on Florida shooting: ‘If I had a son, he’d look like Trayvon’>
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BBC Ben Stiller Comedy Film hello Name change Neighbourhood Watch the watch Trayvon Trayvon Martin