Will The Hunt Wind Up on Netflix?

Many people were stunned to learn that Universal Pictures decided to cancel the release of The Hunt nearly two months before its release in theaters. The decision to pull the movie came in the wake of two mass shootings in the United States, one in El Paso, Texas and the other in Dayton, Ohio, as well as vague comments made by Donald Trump on the dangers of filmmaking in Hollywood.

The future of the movie's potential release remains a mystery, as Universal has not made it clear if the film is being cancelled for international release or if it will simply be delayed the United States for a few months. Others are hoping the film will come to a streaming service like Netflix or get a similar online release.

There is precedent for this kind of strategy for politically controversial films; in 2014, Sony Pictures decided to cancel the wide theatrical release of the comedy film The Interview after condemnation from North Korea. That film dealt with a talk show host and his producer, played by James Franco and Seth Rogen respectively, who are coerced by the CIA to assassinate a fictionalized version of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

That movie was instead made available to rent or purchase online, though it did receive a smaller theatrical release in select theaters.

But The Hunt's situation is a bit different, as it's not a movie studio that could harm the relationship between two countries, but a film that is being targeted by one part of the political factions in the United States.

The problem stems from the media talking points around The Hunt, which is constantly referred to as a movie where liberal elites hunt "deplorables." Of course, the marketing for the film by Blumhouse Productions and Universal Pictures does nothing to dispel this notion, but the so-called "deplorables" are depicted as the group who turns the tide against their hunters; they are the protagonists.

But that didn't stop conservative AND liberal media outlets targeting the film's plot without having the context of a wholly fictional and satirical events. And much like the crusade against violent video games, the targeting of this film seems wholly misguided as people across the political spectrum struggle to deal with gun violence in the United States.

Hopefully people who are anticipating the release of The Hunt will get the chance to see the film eventually.