Fox postpones ‘Phone Booth’ because of sniper attacks

After another fatal sniper shooting near the nation’s capital, 20th Century Fox announced Tuesday that it is postponing the release of its film “Phone Booth,” a suspense thriller about a sniper who threatens a man who answers a ringing telephone in a booth on a New York sidewalk.

“In light of recent events, we are delaying the release of the movie,” said Fox spokeswoman Flo Grace, who declined to comment further.

Fox had been preparing a Nov. 15 nationwide launch for the film, but the company now isn’t expected to release the film until next year.

Directed by Joel Schumacher, “Phone Booth” stars Colin Farrell as a man targeted by an unseen sniper who threatens to kill him if he hangs up.

The studio’s decision came hours after the real-life Washington-area sniper killed his ninth victim, a 47-year-old woman and mother of two grown children who was gunned down outside a Home Depot store in Falls Church, Va. The victim worked as a computer crimes analyst for the FBI.

On Friday, screenwriter Larry Cohen, who spent three years developing the script for “Phone Booth,” said he would have no objection if Fox delayed the film, calling the fictional account “an excursion into dark reality” given current news events.