In a surprise move, prosecutors do not plan to call two of their highly paid mental health experts at the trial of the Aurora movie theater gunman, according to an e-mail quoted in a new court filing.

The announcement adds further intrigue to the behind-the-scenes maneuvering of both sides as they prepare to debate James Holmes’ sanity at a murder trial scheduled to start with jury selection on Jan. 20.

In a motion filed Wednesday and made public Friday, defense attorneys complain that prosecutors have improperly withheld much of the two experts’ notes and reports concerning Holmes’ mental health. The defense asks Judge Carlos Samour to order the materials be turned over and also to reconsider postponing the trial because of the delay.

Neither psychologist Kris Mohandie nor psychiatrist Phillip Resnick has examined Holmes in person. But, according to court filings, the pair has played a key role in shaping the prosecution’s response to Holmes’ plea of not guilty by reason of insanity — including the prosecution’s decision to request a rare second court-ordered sanity exam.

Prosecutors paid Mohandie $300 an hour and Resnick $400 an hour. By February, the prosecution had paid Mohandie more than $45,000 for his work, Samour wrote in one court order.

But, in an e-mail sent Tuesday that the defense quotes in its new motion, prosecutors wrote, “At this point, we do not anticipate calling either Dr. Mohandie or Dr. Resnick in our case in chief.” Prosecutors say the experts might only be called to testify as “rebuttal witnesses,” to refute statements made by defense witnesses. The defense contends prosecutors still must turn over information from the pair.