Universal Scraps 'The Hunt' Release Following Gun Violence Uproar

Universal Pictures has officially decided not to release the upcoming horror/thriller The Hunt this September. The studio had previously stopped running any sort of advertising for the Blumhouse Productions release in the wake of the recent string of mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, Dayton, Ohio, and Gilroy, California. Now, the studio has announced they're pulling the plug altogether, leaving the movie's future uncertain. Universal had this to say in a statement.

"While Universal Pictures had already paused the marketing campaign for The 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."

Controversy surrounding The Hunt, which had been set to arrive in theaters on September 27, sprang up following the recent mass shootings, which left dozens dead and many more injured. The movie centers on a group of strangers who wake up to realize they are being hunted for sport by a group of affluent, rich liberals. The inherent violence and political undertones contained within the movie's premise and marketing campaign came under fire and Universal began to rethink its strategy, ultimately deciding to shelve the project in definitely.

Another key factor seems to be criticism from President Donald Trump. Recently, Trump, without specifically naming The Hunt, appeared to be taking aim at the movie and, moreover, liberals in Hollywood. Taking to Twitter, Trump had this to say.

Related: The Hunt Trailer: Humans Are Targeted as Sport in Ultra-Violent Blumhouse Thriller

"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!"

Blumhouse Productions is known for producing low-budget horror movies that very regularly go on to earn big dollars at the box office. While the budget may have been relatively low, the production costs coupled with the marketing spend means that Universal will be taking a sizable loss by opting not to release The Hunt. Though, it's possible the studio could opt to release the movie down the line. Or, they could also opt to release it on a streaming service, but that likely wouldn't be for some time.

The cast for the The Hunt includes Betty Gilpin Glow, Hilary Swank Million Dollar Baby, Emma Roberts American Horror Story, Glenn Howerton It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Ike Barinholtz Suicide Squad and Macon Blair Green Room. Craig Zobel Compliance is the director, with the script coming from Nick Cuse The Leftovers and Damon Lindelof Lost. This news was previously reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

....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!

— Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump August 9, 2019

Source: Movieweb

Universal Pictures has canceled the release of director Craig Zobel’s upcoming Blumhouse thriller “The Hunt.” The writing was on the walls when President Donald Trump alluded to the film in one of his latest tweetstorms, in which he fired off at “liberal Hollywood.”

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….

— Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump August 9, 2019

….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!

— Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump August 9, 2019

An adaptation of Richard Connell's 1924 classic man-versus-nature story “The Most Dangerous Game,” the film drops 12 American strangers in a clearing, rudderless and unaware that they're being, literally, hunted for sport by one-percent elitists. Universal had previously put the brakes on marketing the film in the wake of recent mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, Dayton, Ohio, and Gilroy, California, as the trailer for the film pivots heavily on gun violence and killing among cast members Emma Roberts, Justin Hartley, Glenn Howerton, Betty Gilpin, and Hilary Swank.

“While Universal Pictures had already paused the marketing campaign for ‘The Hunt,’ after thoughtful consideration, the studio has decided to cancel our plans to release the film,” according to a statement from Universal. “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.”

Allegedly, the screenplay described the Americans who are being hunted for sport as “deplorables,” the term made famous by Hillary Clinton during her campaign for the presidency.

According to Variety, this was not an easy decision, and it was made in cooperation with the filmmakers as well as Universal executive leadership, including studio chief Donna Langley. Given the nature of the film co-written by “The Leftovers” co-creator Damon Lindelof and Nick Cuse, “The Hunt” is unlikely to see the light of day, at least theatrically. The film was set to open September 27 across the country. The film’s most probable future is to end up streaming once Comcast launches its service.

IndieWire has reached out to Universal for comment.

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Source: Indiewire

"The movie coming out is made in order to inflame and cause chaos," the president tweeted Friday. "They create their own violence, and then try to blame others."

Without using the film's name, President Donald Trump appeared to attack Universal's upcoming R-rated film The Hunt on Friday in comments at the White House and on Twitter. After telling reporters that "Hollywood is racist," the president took to Twitter and sharpened his attack on the satirical film, in which elites hunt so-called deplorables for sport.

"The movie coming out is made in order to inflame and cause chaos," Trump wrote Friday afternoon. "They create their own violence, and then try to blame others. They are the true Racists, and are very bad for our Country!"

The president's attacks on the film follow heavy coverage on two of his favorite television networks, Fox News and Fox Business Network.

A little more than two hours before Trump attacked Hollywood and said that "with the kind of movies they're putting out, it's actually very dangerous for our country," a segment on the morning show Fox & Friends lambasted Jason Blum's film. The film was also discussed on Thursday morning's episode of the morning show.

"After all the shootings, though, just the timing of this," co-host Ainsley Earhardt said. "I don't know. These are people, they're hunting down people. That's the premise of this."

About 15 minutes earlier, one of the president's favorite hosts, Maria Bartiromo, discussed the movie critically on her Fox Business show. "I'm just wondering if it's going to encourage more backlash against conservatives," she said. "Is it another call to act? It's crazy."

The Hunt was also discussed on the early morning show Fox & Friends First. "At the end of the day,look at us as deplorables," guest Zachery Ty Bryan said.  "They look at us as racists and bigoted evil people. When you can dehumanize a side or a group that supports Trump in this case...you can do anything, so why not hunt them like you would animals?" Even earlier in the 5 a.m. ET hour, the show featured tweets criticizing the film, including one calling it "the most disgusting and terrifying thing I've ever heard."

But, perhaps the most searing takedown came from Fox Business host — and informal Trump adviser — Lou Dobbs, who Thursday night called the film "a sick, twisted new movie." After telling his viewers about the film's plot, he said, "This is fiction, but it sounds a little like reality, doesn't it?"

Earlier in the day, the film was discussed during Bret Baier's 6 p.m. news show. A guest panelist said, "Only in Hollywood would someone look at a script like this and think, 'This is a good idea. We should make this movie.'"

The film was strongly criticized during a segment on Thursday afternoon's Outnumbered Overtime. "This sounds like a truly awful film," media critic Howard Kurtz said.

And, Thursday morning, news anchor Bill Hemmer hosted a segment on advertisements for the film being pulled, as first reported by The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday.

The first prominent mention of the film on Fox News came during opinion host Laura Ingraham's primetime show Wednesday night. "It sounds like it's something that should have been already pulled from production," she said.

In addition to being spotlighted on network programming, The Hunt has been advertised on Fox News, including a placement last Friday night on Tucker Carlson's highly watched show.

The Hunt, directed by Craig Zobel, is a thriller from Blumhouse and Universal that's set to open Sept. 27.  But, on Wednesday, Universal said in a statement, "Out of sensitivity to the attention on the country's recent shooting tragedies, Universal Pictures and the filmmakers of  The Hunt have temporarily paused its marketing campaign and are reviewing materials as we move forward."

Source: Hollywood Reporter

President Donald Trump condemned Hollywood during a morning meeting August 9 outside the White House via Variety. “We're going to be very tough with them,” the President said of Hollywood. “They're treating conservatives very unfairly. … Hollywood is really terrible. 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. What Hollywood is doing is a tremendous disservice to our country.”

The former reality television show host’s quotes arrive in the middle of a budding controversy ignited by “The Hunt,” an upcoming Blumhouse thriller directed by Craig Zobel and written by Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof.

Since the trailer for “The Hunt” dropped July 30, people have criticized the film for depicting a storyline in which “elites” gather up unsuspecting Americans to hunt for sport. Backlash erupted after The Hollywood Reporter claimed the script referred to the hunted as “deplorables,” the word Hillary Clinton infamously used to describe some Trump supporters.

Although Trump has not referred to “The Hunt” by name, he alluded to the Blumhouse thriller in a series of follow-up tweets following his initial statements made this morning. “Liberal Hollywood is racist at the highest level, and with great anger and hate!” Trump wrote on the social media platform. “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.”

Trump added, “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!”

Given all of the backlash surrounding “The Hunt,” and that the trailer uses the word “elite” to describe the rich predators, it seems fairly clear that Trump is alluding to the Blumhouse movie as being dangerous for the country. IndieWire has reached out to representatives for Universal Pictures, Blumhouse, and Craig Zobel for comment.

Universal is set to open “The Hunt” in theaters nationwide September 27.

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….

— Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump August 9, 2019

….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!

— Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump August 9, 2019

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Source: Indiewire

EXCLUSIVE: Legally Blonde: The Musical music/lyricists Nell Benjamin and Laurence O’Keefe are currently in the works on an untitled comedy musical at Universal for which they will write the songs and screenplay.

Pic, which has a plot that’s being kept under wraps, is being produced by Scott Sanders and Mara Jacobs at Scott Sanders Productions.

“Nell and Larry's script perfectly captures the blend of irreverence and emotion that they have brought to their stage shows in an irresistible story that I can't wait for movie audiences to experience,” Sanders told Deadline.

Benjamin and O’Keefe’s  Legally Blonde: The Musical received seven Tony nominations in 2007. Separately, Benjamin wrote the lyrics to  Mean Girls: The Musical for which she was nominated for best original score with Jeff Richmond. O’Keefe has worked on such popular musicals as  Heathers and  Bat Boy. The duo are represented by WME and Epiphany Alliance.

The Benjamin-O’Keefe project is one of several musicals in the works at Scott Sanders Productions, including In The Heights and a Steven Spielberg, Quincy Jones and Oprah-produced adaptation of The Color Purple at Warner Bros.  Sanders produced the Tony and Grammy-winning stagings of  The Color Purple. He is repped by Erik Hyman at Paul Hastings. Sanders’ latest Broadway hit Tootsie, based on the 1982 Sydney Pollack movie, received 11 Tony Award nominations and won of the New York Drama Critics Circle prize for Best Musical. The musical won Tonys last June for Leading Actor in a Musical and Best Book of a Musical.  In the Heights directed by Jon M. Chu is set to debut on June 26 next year.

Universal's Senior EVP of Production Erik Baiers and Director of Development Lexi Barta will oversee the Benjamin-O’Keefe project on behalf of the studio.

If there’s one facet of tentpole pics Universal excels in next to its rivals, it’s musicals from Oscar-winning Broadway adaptations like Les Miserables to the sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again last year.  To date in 2019, Universal has the Beatles inspired Yesterday which has grossed over $120M at the global box office, the Paul Feig directed Last Christmas inspired by the George Michael holiday ditty on Nov. 8, and Tom Hooper’s feature adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats on Dec. 20.

Source: deadline.com