Damon Lindelof Breaks Silence on The Hunt’s Cancellation

Controversy struck Universal Pictures and Blumhouse last month, as the satirical horror film The Hunt was pulled from its scheduled September release. The conversation about the film started when Universal pulled violent ads in the wake of terror attacks across the country, but it quickly shifted when a report suggested that the film was about “liberal elites” hunting down conservative “deplorables” for sport. This sparked outrage online causing Universal and Blumhouse to pull the plug on The Hunt‘s theatrical debut, shelving it indefinitely.

There is still no word as to when or if the film will ever be released, but writer Damon Lindelof is finally speaking up about his cancelled satire. While speaking to EW about his upcoming Watchmen series on HBO, Lindelof opened up about The Hunt, confirming that the concept of the film was completely misinterpreted by folks online.

“The Hunt is, and always was, a story about what happens when political outrage goes to the most absurd, ridiculous extreme,” Lindelof said. “Because we wanted the movie to be fun and entertaining, we did our very best to make fun of ourselves while making it. The last thing we wanted to do was make a ‘message’ movie. The audience doesn’t want to be preached at so, if anything, this is a story about what happens to folks who deem themselves holier than thou. Spoiler alert: Things don’t turn out great for them.”

The film may have been pulled from its release, and there has been no official timetable for its eventual debut from Universal, but Lindelof remains hopeful that it will eventually see the light of day.

“I’m a TV guy, so I’ve seen many shows ‘canceled’ then revived, so, of course, there’s always a chance the same will happen for us,” he added. “I understand why the movie was misunderstood, but I really hope people get a chance to see it and make up their minds for themselves.”

Do you think The Hunt will ever see the light of day? Will you be heading out to theaters if it does? Let us know in the comments!