We have now reached a point where the actual drama surrounding the release of Universal/Blumhouse’s thriller “The Hunt” is much more interesting than the film was ever likely going to be. After widespread criticism from conservative media and President Donald Trump, compounded by the fact that early reaction to the marketing materials had been less-than-stellar, Universal scrapped the film’s September release, leading to about a million think pieces.
However, according to a new report from THR, there was a lot more behind-the-scenes drama that ultimately prompted the studio to think twice about releasing the film.
The report says that a screening from early August, the second such test screening, there were audience members that were taken aback by the political messaging in the film, which was formerly titled “Red State vs. Blue State” (oh boy, you can hear the outrage over this title coming a mile away). This reaction apparently gave Universal its first bit of hesitation about the film, prompting the marketing team to take any overt political imagery out of the film.
But things actually got worse for the studio and filmmakers involved in the project when the media got wind of the film’s premise and started reporting about the fact that “The Hunt” features a plot that follows a group of Left Wing elites hunting Right Wing “deplorables” for sport. Think “The Most Dangerous Game,” but with a deeply polarized political angle.
After reportedly receiving death threats via email and social media, Universal began an independent investigation (and didn’t alert the authorities) and immediately paused the marketing campaign for the film. Of course, we know what happened next, as the news of the marketing pause (timed with the recent mass shootings) led to Trump and conservative media running wild with the premise and creating the current shitstorm that led to the studio canceling the entire release.
Much like Sony’s drama surrounding the Seth Rogen comedy “The Interview,” which saw its release delayed thanks to threats from North Korea, we have a feeling that “The Hunt” will end up being pretty disappointing for those expecting such a problematic plot.
THR is also reporting that there are interested international distributors that would be willing to take the film off Universal’s hands if the studio doesn’t want anything to do with it. We’ll just have to wait and see what unfolds. For now, the drama continues.