After the release of Universal's THE HUNT was halted in the wake of a series of mass shootings as well as a torrent of social media upheaval, it's been reported that the satirical thriller is back on, and it's packing a new trailer as a part of its grand return.
As you're likley to recall, Universal and Blumhouse pulled advertising for THE HUNT back in August after its contents were viewed by many as a cinematic powder keg for an already divided United States of America. In the film, Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don't know where they are, or how they got there. They don't know they've been chosen – for a very specific purpose. That purpose being that they're moving targets for the elite as part of an elaborate game of catch and kill.
At the time of the original trailer's release, President Trump took to Twitter to denounce the film project, tweeting "Liberal Hollywood is Racist at the highest level, and with great Anger and Hate! They like to call themselves 'Elite,' but they are not Elite. In fact, it is often the people that they so strongly oppose that are actually the Elite. The movie coming out is made in order to inflame and cause chaos. They create their own violence, and then try to blame others. They are the true Racists, and are very bad for our Country!" Shortly thereafter, the President's targeting of the film was backed by representatives of Fox News and Fox Business, who in their own campaign against THE HUNT called the concept "sick" and "twisted."
After so much noise and dust, Universal and Blumhouse opted to pull the film from release. “It’s probably the most judged movie that’s ever existed that everyone who judged it hadn’t seen,” Jason Blum said about the movie's unfortunate circumstances, who during the controversy had begun receiving threats. “We weren't going to win the conversation around that and so it was our decision, in holding hands with Universal, to take the movie off the schedule.”
Then adding to Blum's comments was Damon Lindelof, who alongside his production partner told The Hollywood Reporter: “For us there was just a fundamental frustration that nobody was talking about the movie. They were all talking about what their perception of the movie was–a perception that was largely formed based on all the events in the aftermath of the horrific weekend before. [But] we really don’t want to be pointing fingers, and more importantly, we don’t want to be wagging fingers at anyone for overreacting or reacting incorrectly. We just felt like the movie was being misunderstood.”
Moreover, Blum and Lindelof told THR that while holding a test screening for THE HUNT just a few short days after the shootings, that audience members failed to draw parallels between the movie and the tragic events that had recently transpired. “No one who has seen the movie has described the movie as provocative,” Lindelof says.
During their talk, it was also revealed that the idea for THE HUNT was sparked by the release of Jordan Peele's social thriller GET OUT.
"Nick and I saw Get Out and we were like, `This is elevated genre. It’s amazing how good this movie is, and it’s also a horror movie and it’s also comedic,’” Lindelof explained. “It was only fair for it to end up with the guy who inspired the tone of it all.”
Directed by Craig Zobel from a script penned by Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof, THE HUNT stars Betty Gilpin (GLOW, MASTERS OF SEX), Ethan Suplee (MALLRATS, MY NAME IS EARL), J.C. MacKenzie (OCTOBER FACTION, THE IRISHMAN), Hilary Swank (BOYS DON'T CRY, MILLION DOLLAR BABY), Emma Roberts (WE'RE THE MILLERS, AQUAMARINE), Justin Hartley (THIS IS US, REVENGE), and Ike Barinholtz (SUICIDE SQUAD, BLESS THE HARTS), among others.
THE HUNT is now set for a March 13 release in theaters. Let us know if you plan to check it out in the comments section below.