Universal Pictures has canceled plans to release the Blumhouse thriller “The Hunt” following the mass shootings last month in El Paso and Dayton.
“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 statement, posted on the film’s website, read. “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 the film.”
Additionally, an individual with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap, “This was a decision that the studio came to with ‘The Hunt’ filmmaking team. It was a tough call for the company, but studio leadership, led by Donna Langley, agreed that this film could wait.”
Previously, Universal had halted the marketing campaign for the horror film “out of sensitivity on the country’s recent shooting tragedies.”
Playing on divides in the current political climate, “The Hunt” follows 12 conservatives who discover they have been kidnapped and brought to The Manor, a hunting ground where liberal billionaires pay top dollar to hunt them for sport. Hilary Swank plays the founder of The Manor, while Betty Gilpin plays the leader of the hunted, as they fight back against their would-be killers. Craig Zobel directs, with Emma Roberts, Justin Hartley and Ike Barinholtz also starring.
A trailer for the film, which shows a gunfight in an open field and Gilpin’s character killing two of the Manor’s patrons with a shotgun, was released on July 30. An ad that was set to air on ESPN over the weekend was pulled after an attack on a Walmart in El Paso that killed 22 people.
Over the years, films have had their marketing adjusted following major tragedies. One of the most famous was a withdrawn trailer for Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man,” which featured Spider-Man slinging up a helicopter with bank robbers between the towers of the World Trade Center. The trailer was removed following the Sept. 11 attacks.
Mass Shootings in America That Horrified All of Us (Photos)
Newtown, Conn. - On December 14, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary School. They were between the ages of six and seven years old. He also killed six adult staff members.
John Moore/Getty Images
Washington D.C. — A former Navy reservist shot and killed 12 people on September 16, 2013, at a military facility. The gunman was killed.
Getty Images
Tyrone, Mo. - On Feb. 27, 2015, Joseph Jesse Aldridge killed seven people — four of them relatives — in a door-to-door shooting spree before killing himself.
Getty Images
Waco, Tex. - Nine people were killed and many more were injured after two biker gangs began firing at each other at a motorcycle club on May 17, 2015.
Getty Images
Charleston, S.C. - Dylann Roof shot and killed nine people during a racially motivated shooting in a predominantly African-American church on June 17, 2015.
Getty Images
Chattanooga, Tenn. - A gunman named Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez entered two military facilities on July 16, 2015, and killed four Marines and injured others, before he was killed.
Getty Images
Umpqua, Ore. - On October 1, 2015, Chris Harper Mercer killed nine people and injured seven to nine more at Umpqua Community College before two police officers shot him. Mercer then committed suicide.
Getty Images
San Bernardino, Calif. - 14 people were killed and another 21 injured after Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik opened fire during a holiday party on December 2, 2015. The pair were later killed during a shootout with police.
Getty Images
Orlando, Fla. - 50 people were killed and 53 wounded on June 11, 2016, at Pulse, a gay nightclub. Just before the shooting, suspected killer Omar Mateen called 911 and pledged his allegiance to the terror group ISIS. Mateen was also shot an killed by police on the scene.
Gerardo Mora/Getty Images
1 of 9
TheWrap looks back at recent mass shootings that have happened on U.S. soil
Newtown, Conn. - On December 14, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary School. They were between the ages of six and seven years old. He also killed six adult staff members.