In the wake of the recent shootings in the United States, Universal Pictures has decided to cancel the release of the controversial film, The Hunt.
The film features people of differing political parties violently hunting each other down as a sort of “sport” and would have hit the cinemas on the 27th September 2019.
The decision to halt the release of the film comes days after Universal had already decided to halt every form of marketing for the film.
“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 statement from Universal reads. “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.”
The website for the movie has also been shuttered, with only a copy of the above statement remaining on the page. The film’s trailer has also been taken down on YouTube by Universal Pictures, but copies still exist on other non-affiliated channels.
The first trailer for the film was initially released on 30 July, days after the shooting in Gilroy, California that left four dead.
