Universalwill not be releasingBlumhouse’s The Hunt on September 27 as planned.Deadline hears that a collective decision was made by Universal leadership, led by Donna Langley, withThe Hunt filmmaking team. For this particular film, it’s better to wait.
The news of Universal canceling The Hunt comes in the wake of the studioputting the brakes on the pic’s marketing campaignin the wake of the mass shootingsin El Paso, TX, Dayton, OHandGirloy, CA.
The studio released the following statement this morning: “While Universal Pictures had already paused the marketing campaign forThe Hunt, after thoughtful consideration, the studio has decided to cancel our plans to release the film. We stand by our filmmakers and will continue to distribute films in partnership with bold and visionary creators, like those associated with this satirical social thriller, but we understand that now is not the right time to release this film.”
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No official plans as to what happens to The Hunt now. It could come back for a theatrical release at a latter date, or it could go to streaming once NBCUniversal parent Comcast launchesits service.
The Hunt follows 12 red-state strangers who wake up in a clearing and realize that they’re being hunted by liberal elites. Betty Gilpin and double Oscar winner Hilary Swank play women on opposite sides of the political spectrum, conservative and liberal, who are targeting each other. Craig Zobel directed the movie, which was written by Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof.
PresidentDonald Trumpwent after Hollywood on Friday, in what was perceived by the media as an alluded slam atThe Hunt,“You talk about racist — Hollywood is racist. What they’re doing, with the kind of movies they’re putting out — it’s actually very dangerous for our country.”
He added, “What Hollywood is doing is a tremendous disturbance to our country,” claimed Trump. Deadline’s Dominic Pattencovered the news Fridayand how the town called “Bullsh*t” on POTUS.
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Our sister site Varietyreportedthis morning that Swank told reporters and formerScreen DailyEditor-in-Chief Mike Goodridge at the Locarno Film Festival,today that she would not be discussing The Hunt, saying: “No one’s seen the film. You can’t really have a conversation about it without understanding what it’s about.”
That said, Swank did have something to say about Trump and in the current entertainment climate. “My desire to tell certain stories has always been the same, no matter who the president is,” she said. “The choices that I’ve made pretty much inform who I am as a person, and that’s not going to change no matter what’s happening.”
Last weekend, ESPN yanked an ad for The Huntthat it previously had approved. However, AMC aired a spot for the Blumhouse movie during its season premiere ofPreacher. On Wednesday, Universal, in its initial slowdown ofThe Hunt, decided to pause the pic’s marketing campaign across outdoor, digital and theatrical.
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