'Jack Reacher' Lincoln Center Screening Postponed; Pittsburgh Premiere Set for Dec. 19

The Film Society of Lincoln Center has postponed a planned screening of the Tom Cruise thriller Jack Reacher that was slated for Monday night out of respect for the victims of the shooting in Newtown, Conn.

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"We are postponing the event out of respect for the families of the victims," said John Wildman, a spokesman for the Film Society of Lincoln Center, which is hosting a Tom Cruise retrospective this week.  

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Paramount, distributor of the film based on a popular series of novels by Lee Child, said in a statement that it supported Lincoln Center's decision to postpone the event.      

Hours after the Dec. 14 shooting, Paramount postponed its Pittsburgh premiere of Jack Reacher, which had been planned for Dec. 15. Gunman Adam Lanza, 20, went on a rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, leaving 26 people dead, including 20 children. Among the dead was school principal Dawn Hochsprung; one teacher was wounded. Lanza died from "a self-inflicted gunshot wound," according to police. His mother, Nancy Lanza, was found dead at the residence she shared with her son. 

On Dec. 19, Cruise will travel to Pittsburgh to screen the film "in the city that so graciously hosted the production of the film. There will be no red carpet during this time of mourning," Paramount said in a statement. "The filmmakers and Tom Cruise convey their heartfelt sadness and their deep condolences to the families during this time."   

FILM REVIEW: 'Jack Reacher'

In Jack Reacher, Cruise stars as the mysterious title character, a drifter and former police officer who tries to solve a case involving a hired killer and a shady Russian operative known as "The Zec." The film, which has received strong reviews, has been noted by critics for its violence. According to THR's review of the film, which is set to open Dec. 21, a "disturbing" opening sequence "shows a sniper position himself in a parking garage across the water from Pittsburgh’s baseball stadium" and then methodically gun down "what looks to be five random targets on the riverfront promenade."

This is not the first time a film studio has canceled or postponed the premiere of a movie in the aftermath of a shooting. After James Holmes killed 12 people at a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises at an Aurora, Colo., theater in July, Warner Bros. canceled the film's Paris, Mexico City and Tokyo premieres.

Pamela McClintock contributed to this report.

Email: Daniel.Miller@THR.com

Twitter: @DanielNMiller