Producer Jason Blum on “The Hunt” controversy

Blumhouse Productions proved its knack for producing silver screen hits under the horror and thriller genres time and time again. With a lineup of box office successes that include Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” and M. Night Shyamalan’s “Split,” one of its recent projects “The Hunt” was a predicted surefire success.

But things took a turn when its official distributor, Universal Pictures had to shelve the film after announcing an initial September 2019 release. This came as a major shock to fans of the production banner but now, the team behind “The Hunt” is gearing up for a release this year.

Ahead of its March 2020 theatrical debut, Blumhouse founder Jason Blum is speaking up about the controversy that plagued forced the delay of the feature’s premiere.

Speaking to Variety at the Los Angeles premiere of “Fantasy Island,” Blum addressed the news of The Hunt’s official rescheduled debut.

“I always check the reactions online,” the producer said.

“I’ve been [reading] a lot and I think this time around a lot of the people who wrote [about] the movie have now seen the movie and I’m very happy so far how it’s been written about because it’s being understood much better this time as a satire –– which is what it is.”

Blum and the film’s writer Damon Lindelof recently defended the film from accusations that it displayed a political bias toward supporters of United States President Donald Trump. The film’s premise sees elite liberal members hunting down and killing conservatives for sport in America’s “red states.”