The Hunt, a haves vs. have nots satirical thriller starring Betty Gilpin, Ike Barinholtz, Emma Roberts, and Hilary Swank, was supposed to come out in September 2019, but Universal Pictures pulled the release date following multiple mass shootings. President Trump also came after the film, and all of “Liberal Hollywood,” for being “Racist at the highest level, and with great Anger and Hate.” Mass shootings are, unfortunately, still a too-often occurrence (as is Trump saying bizarre things on Twitter), but Universal has put The Hunt back on the schedule, and it’ll be in theaters soon. As in, next month soon.
“The Hunt, [which] depicts ‘elites’ kidnapping and then hunting ‘deplorables,’ is now set for release on March 13,” according to the Hollywood Reporter. “Given the intense violence on the screen, The Hunt is certain to earn an R rating. Universal plans to open it on 3,000 screens.” The studio is also leaning into the controversy, calling it the “most talked-about movie of the year is one that no one’s actually seen.” Producer Jason Blum, who claims to have received death threats over The Hunt, added that it’s “probably the most judged movie that’s ever existed that everyone who judged it hadn’t seen”:
Asked whether there was any pushback from Universal about the film’s violence coupled with its political themes, Blum says, “It was read as a satire, no different from Joker or other movies that are violent,” he says. “It was read as a movie that didn’t take sides.”
Screenwriter Damon Lindelof, of Lost, The Leftovers, and Watchmen fame, thinks The Hunt may actually have an unexpected effect on culture. “We think that people who see it are going to enjoy it and this may be a way to shine a light on a very serious problem in the country, which is that we’re divided. And we think the movie may actually, ironically, bring people together,” he said. Check out the (excellent) poster below.
(Via Hollywood Reporter)
