Universal Cancels The Hunt Release Following Mass Shootings

Upcoming Universal and Blumhouse movie The Hunt has caused quite the stir online in recent weeks, especially following a series of mass shootings across the country last weekend. Ads for the movie, which features rich elitists hunting and killing poor people for sport, were pulled from TV stations, and now it looks like Universal is pulling the movie altogether.

The studio announced Saturday that it was cancelling the theatrical release of The Hunt, which was slated to arrive in theaters on September 27th. Universal released the following 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, ” a spokesperson for Universal said in a statement. “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.”

This doesn’t mean that The Hunt will never see the light of day, as the studio still seems to be high on the project. It just means that it won’t get released any time soon.

According to Variety, insiders say the studio came to the decision alongside the filmmakers and that all agreed pulling The Hunt was the right thing to do. Those same insiders suggested that studio leadership determined that the film “could wait,” meaning that there are still plans to release it eventually.

For now, The Hunt will sit on a shelf until Universal and Blumhouse decide it’s okay to release, though there’s just no way of knowing when that will be.

Directed by Craig Zobel and written by Nick Cuse and Damon Lindelof, The Hunt stars Betty Gilpin, Hilary Swank, Emma Roberts, Justin Hartley, Ike Barinholtz, Glenn Howerton, and Ethan Suplee.