New Gangster Squad trailer blows up

Cape Town - An explosive new trailer for the much-anticipated action movie Gangster Squad was released by Warner Bros on Thursday.

The movie's star-studded cast includes a barely recognisable Sean Penn as ruthless mob king Mickey Cohen who rules the Los Angeles underground in the 1940s and 50s.

Ryan Gosling and Josh Brolin co-star as LAPD's Sgt. John O'Mara and Jerry Wooters, the only honest cops in town who are out to bring down Cohen's empire of drugs, guns, and prostitutes.

Gangster Squad was directed by Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer, who reunites with Emma Stone, his star from that movie. Emma also gets to play the romantic interest of Ryan Gosling yet again as Grace Faraday, Cohen’s moll and the object of Wooters’ attention.

Batman shootings

Based on true events, Gangster Squad is described by Warner Bros as "a colourful retelling of events surrounding the LAPD's efforts to take back their nascent city from one of the most dangerous mafia bosses of all time."

The new trailer excludes a scene seen in the first trailer of gunmen opening fire in a movie cinema full of people. The scene was yanked from the movie in the aftermath of the tragic mass shooting during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado, this July. The release of Gangster Squad was also pushed back from 7 September to 11 January 2013 to accommodate the new edit.

Despite the changes, Gangster Squad still looks to be one of the bloodiest upcoming movies as the trailer features a series of gunfights and explosions on the gang-ridden streets of LA.

Watch the new Gangster Squad trailer here.