Universal
Betty Gilpin in "The Hunt."
- Business Insider read the script for the movie "The Hunt," which Universal decided to not release in the wake of the mass shootings in early August and criticism from President Trump.
- The Blumhouse Productions thriller about a group of people who are hunted by liberal elites is extremely graphic and features a lot of gun violence.
- But the movie is not a liberal-versus-conservative story, as it has sometimes been depicted in the media.
- Still, there are references that could have angered Trump or his supporters.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
In the wake of the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas; Dayton, Ohio; and Gilroy, California in early August, Universal announced it was pulling its September 27 release of Blumhouse Production's "The Hunt," with no indication when (or if) it would ever be released.
Because of the gun violence and red-state-versus-blue-state vibe of the trailer, which shows 12 strangers suddenly waking up in a remote location and being hunted by a group of rich elites, the movie had become a flash point of controversy.
A day before Universal announced it had taken the movie off its slate, President Trump called Hollywood "really terrible" and "racist," and tweeted, "the movie coming out is made in order ... to inflame and cause chaos." Many in Hollywood and the media took Trump's tweet to refer to "The Hunt."
But most people debating "The Hunt" online and in the media hadn't seen in. In fact, other than those involved with the movie, directed by Craig Zobel ("Compliance," episodes of HBO's "The Leftovers"), and test screening audiences, no one had.
So is the movie (budgeted at $15 million) an ultra-violent modern take on "The Most Dangerous Game" with liberal elites picking off "deplorables" for fun, as it has sometimes been portrayed in the media?
Business Insider was given a draft of the script written by Nick Curse and Damon Lindelof (creator of HBO series "The Leftovers" and "Watchmen"). Here's what we know.
(No major spoilers, we promise.)
Note: Details below could change as the movie is currently being edited.