SALT LAKE CITY — Did you want to watch “The Hunt” film? Well, it seems like you’ll need to hunt for a new movie to watch this fall.
Deadline reports that Universal decided to pull “The Hunt” from its original release date in September and that there are currently no plans for alternative release date.
Universal pulled the film just days after the company decided to reshape its marketing plan. As I reported for the Deseret News, Universal decided to pull ads from ESPN since they were airing in the immediate aftermath of the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, which led to a combined 31 deaths.
But on Friday, President Donald Trump sounded off against the film in a series of tweets. This was after conservative media outlets — including Fox News and Sean Hannity’s blogs — reported on social media’s negative reaction to the film and its trailers.
“Liberal Hollywood is Racist at the highest level ... The movie coming out is made in order to inflame and cause chaos,” Trump tweeted.
Universal decided to drop the film from its release schedule right after that, Slate reports.
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.
It’s unclear what will happen to “The Hunt” next.