Universal has canceled the release of the film The Hunt, reportedly featuring liberal elites hunting and killing “deplorables” for sport. The decision comes after the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, and President Donald Trump calling “liberal Hollywood” racist and full of violence.
“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,” the studio said in a statement. “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 shelved film kicked off a firestorm last week after ESPN announced its decision to pull TV ads for The Hunt, a decision the network made in the wake of the deadly mass shootings in Texas, and Ohio that left more than 30 people dead and dozens more injured.
On Friday, President Trump added fuel to the fire.
“Liberal Hollywood is Racist at the highest level, and with great Anger and Hate! They like to call themselves “Elite,” but they are not Elite. In fact, it is often the people that they so strongly oppose that are actually the Elite,” the president said, adding “The movie coming out is made in order to inflame and cause chaos. They create their own violence, and then try to blame others. They are the true Racists, and are very bad for our Country!”
A White House aide confirmed to Breitbart News that President Trump was likely referring to the The Hunt in his comments about “the movie coming out” inflaming violence.
The Daily Mail reported that the “hunted” in the film were described as “deplorables” in the screenplay. Though, it’s not clear whether the filmmakers made the “Deplorables” or the “hunters” heroes in the film.
Jerome Hudson is Breitbart News Entertainment Editor and author of the forthcoming book 50 Things They Don’t Want You to Know, from HarperCollins. Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson.