Meet the Liberal Celebrities Behind the Controversial Anti-Trump Movie ‘The Hunt’
The Hunt, the latest horror/suspense offering from Blumhouse Studos (Get Out), doesn’t open until September 27, but it has already generated moral and political controversy.
The film, a retelling of the Richard Cornell short story “The Most Dangerous Game,” follows a group of rich elitists who hunt down a group of “average” Americans for sport.
Universal, the distributor for the film, ceased all marketing after the weekend mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton. The trailer (included below) is exceedingly violent, and depicts people being shot with a rifle at close range.
Others, however, are upset with what they say is the glorification of Middle America “Deplorables” – or Trump supporters – being hunted down and killed. The Hollywood Reporter stated an early version of the script includes a line in which a “liberal” elitist refers to hunting down some “deplorables.”
Neither Universal nor Blumhouse has directly addressed the political angle of the controversy. They say the decision to pull advertising of the film was done “out if sensitivity to the attention on the country’s recent shooting tragedies.”
Some counter that the trailer shows that the “deplorables” may end up getting the last laugh, as it appears they turn the tables on the elitists hunting them. Regardless, many argue the film’s satirical approach will likely not be positive to Trump supporters or gun rights advocates.
The Celebs Behind the Film
The individuals producing and starring in the film have a long history of liberal activism, raising concerns that conservative Trump supporters will not get a fair treatment or depiction.
Producer Jason Blum was booed off the stage at last year’s Israel Film Festival in Hollywood when he told the mostly Jewish crowd “The good thing about this country is that you get to like Trump but I don’t have to and I don’t like him…Thanks to our president, anti-semitism is in the rise.”
Audience members actually climbed up on the stage where Blum was making his remarks while accepting an award, and forced him to leave.
Blum later tweeted out parts of the speech he was not able to give. The speech included attacks on the President, as this tweet shows.
Blum also pledged to use his films to fight what he saw as Trump’s bigotry. The Hunt is likely geared to do that. Blum has produced a number of films, including Get Out, The Purge series, Halloween, and Paranormal Activity.
Actress Betty Gilpin, who plays the lead character of Crystal, used a Fourth of July tweet to post a picture of herself extending her middle fingers to what she called “the GOP.” She later deleted her Twitter account. She currently appears on the Netflix series “GLOW.”
Actor Ike Barinholtz has been a frequent critic of President Trump, especially on Twitter.
Actress Emma Roberts has been active in many liberal causes, including the “Nasty Women” movement.
The film is written by Damon Lindelof, co-creator of the TV series “The Leftovers” and “Lost,” among other shows. In the past, he has called Trump an “agent of Destruction.” Lindelof is also writing the HBO adaptation of “Watchmen,” saying the DC Comics-based miniseries will address “white supremacy” in the Trump era.
Oscar winner Hilary Swank, unlike most Hollywood celebrities, rarely discusses politics. She does support some liberal charities and causes, but also backs many non-partisan causes. She has refused to comment on President Trump when asked.
Here is the trailer for the film.
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