Alamo team defeated by Xmas opening plan

Although trailers and advertising posters have been promoting a Christmas Day release, the Walt Disney Co has taken the unusual step of postponing the opening of The Alamo, saying the much-anticipated film needs more work.

Executives say the delay is unrelated to early mixed reviews by test audiences, who complained that the film, which stars Billy Bob Thornton as Davy Crockett and Dennis Quaid as General Sam Houston, is too long and the characters are not developed.

“It’s proven to be more difficult than we thought,” producer Mark Johnson told the Los Angeles Times. “With six major characters, getting the balance right has been very, very difficult. I have every confidence we will get there.”

The Alamo will now be released in April.

Directed by John Lee Hancock, the story of fewer than 200 Texas rebels who were crushed by the 5,000-man Mexican army in 1836 has been described as a fresh take on one of America’s historical legends.