STUDIO PULLS 'THE CORE' TRAILER AFTER SHUTTLE DISASTER

Paramount Pictures has pulled its trailer for 'The Core', which shows the Space Shuttle in jeopardy, but the studio is holding to its March 28 US release date for the sci-fi thriller.

The Viacom Inc.-owned studio asked exhibitors to stop screening the trailer in the United States following Saturday's space shuttle Columbia explosion and the death of all seven astronauts.

A spokesman says the studio is reviewing its advertising to make certain the campaign is sensitive to the tragedy.

The studio also said it's premature to decide whether to alter or excise Shuttle sequences from the film.

Paramount decided in the fall to delay release of 'The Core' from November in order to give more time to complete f/x shots.

Helmed by Jon Amiel ('Entrapment'), the picture revolves around a group of NASA 'terranauts' who must travel deep underground after the Earth's inner core stops rotating, which creates a host of natural disasters that threaten life on the surface. It stars Aaron Eckhart and Hilary Swank.