Trayvon Martin Fallout: Fox Pulls ‘Neighborhood Watch’ Trailer, Promo Material

Fox yanks the trailer and promo material for the Ben Stiller-Jonah Hill comedy “Neighborhood Watch” from Florida theaters due to eerie coincidence

The Ben StillerJonah Hill comedy "Neighborhood Watch" has gotten caught up in the fallout from Florida teen Trayvon Martin's death last month.

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20th Century Fox has pulled a teaser-trailer for the movie and removed promotional material from Florida theaters in the wake of the hoodie-wearing teenager's death by Neighborhood Watch leader George Zimmerman.

Martin, 17, was fatally shot by Zimmerman after exiting a Florida convenience store where he had purchased Skittles and a beverage in late February. He was unarmed.

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The promotional material consisted of a teaser, posters and in-theater standees that could have been interpreted as being related to the Martin case. The trailer and materials will be phased out nationally as a matter of course.

Fox will now accelerate to the next phase of its marketing campaign for the comedy, which emphasizes the alien invasion aspect of the movie.

“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," Fox said in a statement provided to TheWrap. "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 our marketing and were never planned for long-term use. Above all else, our thoughts go out to the families touched by this terrible event.”

The the film, which also stars Vince Vaughn, is slated for a July 27 release.

The trailer, which is still available online, can be seen below.

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