Ads Pulled for Gory Universal Thriller 'The Hunt' in Wake of Mass Shootings
The report lists several movies whose release was delayed because of events, the key being merely delayed. This one needs to be scotched.
They call the movie a satire, and maybe I'd be inclined to give them some slack if they included a studio laugh track throughout. Otherwise it's another brick in the wall, so to speak, of our cultural preoccupation with guns and violence, political violence in particular.
Thanks, Hollywood.
The last paragraphs in this report:
I'll translate that last:
Now, that deflection defense of domestic violence from Forrest Gump is becoming my Brokeback Mountain poster™Billy Jingo, but it seems necessary for this headlong rush into violent chaos conducted under the cover of such excuses.
In the wake of a trio of deadly massacres, the studio is evaluating its strategy for the R-rated Blumhouse satire in which elites stalk "deplorables."
"Did anyone see what our ratfucker-in-chief just did?" one character asks early in the screenplay for The Hunt, a Universal Pictures thriller set to open Sept. 27. Another responds: "At least The Hunt's coming up. Nothing better than going out to the Manor and slaughtering a dozen deplorables."
In the aftermath of mass shootings within days of one another that shocked and traumatized the nation, Universal is re-evaluating its strategy for the certain-to-be-controversial satire. The violent, R-rated film from producer Jason Blum's Blumhouse follows a dozen MAGA types who wake up in a clearing and realize they are being stalked for sport by elite liberals.
Over the Aug. 3 weekend, ESPN pulled an ad for the film that it had previously cleared, while AMC ran the spot during the season premiere of its drama The Preacher. It's unclear whether the ads were identical, but the one yanked by ESPN opened with a sound resembling an emergency broadcast signal. A rep for ESPN parent Disney declined to comment on the move, but an ESPN source says no spots for the film will appear on the network in the coming weeks.
The Hunt stars Betty Gilpin from GLOW and Hilary Swank, representing opposite sides of the political divide. It features guns blazing along with other ultra-violent killings as the elites pick off their prey. The script from Damon Lindelof and Nick Cuse reviewed by The Hollywood Reporter revolves around third-rail political themes. (Original title: Red State Vs. Blue State.)
A studio source says that even before the recent attacks, which left 34 dead in El Paso, Texas; Dayton, Ohio; and Gilroy, California, some reshoots were done based on a recent rough cut. Universal and Blumhouse declined to comment.
While one high-level Universal source says the studio has pulled some ads that are beginning to air and appear online "for content and placement," others say the matter is still under discussion internally. A major ad blitz on television and the web had been planned for the beginning of September, says one insider. A trailer is already online...
"Did anyone see what our ratfucker-in-chief just did?" one character asks early in the screenplay for The Hunt, a Universal Pictures thriller set to open Sept. 27. Another responds: "At least The Hunt's coming up. Nothing better than going out to the Manor and slaughtering a dozen deplorables."
In the aftermath of mass shootings within days of one another that shocked and traumatized the nation, Universal is re-evaluating its strategy for the certain-to-be-controversial satire. The violent, R-rated film from producer Jason Blum's Blumhouse follows a dozen MAGA types who wake up in a clearing and realize they are being stalked for sport by elite liberals.
Over the Aug. 3 weekend, ESPN pulled an ad for the film that it had previously cleared, while AMC ran the spot during the season premiere of its drama The Preacher. It's unclear whether the ads were identical, but the one yanked by ESPN opened with a sound resembling an emergency broadcast signal. A rep for ESPN parent Disney declined to comment on the move, but an ESPN source says no spots for the film will appear on the network in the coming weeks.
The Hunt stars Betty Gilpin from GLOW and Hilary Swank, representing opposite sides of the political divide. It features guns blazing along with other ultra-violent killings as the elites pick off their prey. The script from Damon Lindelof and Nick Cuse reviewed by The Hollywood Reporter revolves around third-rail political themes. (Original title: Red State Vs. Blue State.)
A studio source says that even before the recent attacks, which left 34 dead in El Paso, Texas; Dayton, Ohio; and Gilroy, California, some reshoots were done based on a recent rough cut. Universal and Blumhouse declined to comment.
While one high-level Universal source says the studio has pulled some ads that are beginning to air and appear online "for content and placement," others say the matter is still under discussion internally. A major ad blitz on television and the web had been planned for the beginning of September, says one insider. A trailer is already online...
They call the movie a satire, and maybe I'd be inclined to give them some slack if they included a studio laugh track throughout. Otherwise it's another brick in the wall, so to speak, of our cultural preoccupation with guns and violence, political violence in particular.
Thanks, Hollywood.
The last paragraphs in this report:
"Employees in different departments were questioning the wisdom of making such a movie in these times," says one filmmaker with ties to Universal. "In light of the horrific [recent shootings], is this not the most craven, irresponsible, dangerous exploitation?"
That point is countered by a Universal executive, who says the movie "is meant to show what a stupid, crazy world we live in," adding, "It might even be more powerful now."
That point is countered by a Universal executive, who says the movie "is meant to show what a stupid, crazy world we live in," adding, "It might even be more powerful now."
That point is countered by a Universal executive, who says of the movie, "Things get a little out of hand," adding, "It's just this president, that lying son of a bitch, Trump! I would never want anyone hurt. You know that."
Now, that deflection defense of domestic violence from Forrest Gump is becoming my Brokeback Mountain poster™Billy Jingo, but it seems necessary for this headlong rush into violent chaos conducted under the cover of such excuses.
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