Universal Pictures and Blumhouse’s satirical thriller, The Hunt, is having its theatrical release pulled after last week’s mass shootings in El Paso, TX and Dayton, OH.
As reported by Deadline yesterday, Universal Pictures decided to pull the film from theaters before its Sept. 27 release shortly after halting the film’s marketing campaign. Along with the report, Universal issued an official 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.
Universal has not yet announced what it plans to do with The Hunt. Considering the movie was likely almost finished, there is always the possibility it returns to theaters later down the line or appears on a streaming service.
The Hunt would have seen 12 captured strangers running from a violent group that hunts others for sport. The Blumhouse flick was aiming to be satirical and looked to follow in the footsteps of other modern thrillers like The Purge and Get Out. Watch its trailer down below and wonder what could have been.
