Ben Stiller's Neighborhood Watch gets name change

Ben Stiller's new movie Neighborhood Watch has been given a name change to distance the film from the shooting of African-American teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida earlier this year (12).

The film, co-written by Seth Rogen, follows a group of neighborhood watch volunteers battling an alien invasion, but it will now just be known as The Watch.

The move comes after trailers for the comedy were pulled from Florida cinemas in the aftermath of the death of 17-year-old Martin, who was shot dead by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in a case that hit headlines across the country.

A statement from the Fox film studio reads "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."

The Watch is set for release on 27 July (12).