Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
I said, Thats great.
We should just do it, and Zobel can direct it.
Then he said, Ive always thought The Most Dangerous Gamewould be a cool thing to adapt.
So I was like, Lets do it.
Thats where I saw the script, and I loved it.
I really wanted to do it, and Damon played his cards close to his vest.
But I loved it, and I did everything I could to try and get it for us.
The Huntmade some executives at Universal skittish back in May 2018, Kim Masters and Tatiana Siegel write.
If studio execs are getting nervous, however, Lindelof says he never heard about it.
It doesnt mean that it didnt happen internally, but it never made its way to me.
February 2019: Shooting Begins
TheTimes-PicayunereportsthatThe Huntwill begin filming in Louisiana at the end of February.
It does not generate controversy.
The films theatrical debut is slated for September 27.
That night, another mass murderer kills nine people at a bar in Dayton, Ohio.
The second conversation that happened was, are we going to have test screenings that Tuesday night?
Its like 72 hours after these shootings, explains the writer.
Then we looked at the scores and everybody, like, liked the movie.
They actually had to be asked again because they werent connecting it to this gun-violence thing at all.
Lindelof shares a similar account of the test screenings.
Afterward in these focus groups, they asked, Were you uncomfortable at any point?
Was it inappropriate to show this?
And the audience seemed kind of befuddled by the question.
They were like, Its a movie.
Its so over the top, he told Vulture.
And thenThe Hollywood Reporterstory was published.
Lindelof says these marketing concerns were the first indication the rollout of their film might be affected.
So, the first decision was made, should we pull those spots?
The trade also claims thatThe Huntwas originally titledRed State vs. Blue State, a name choice Universal denies.
At this point, almost no one in media has seen the movie.
As a result, Blum says the reaction came as a surprise.
If we had anticipated anything that happened we would have done it differently, he says.
My Twitter was blowing up just as much as Universals phones, you know what I mean?
It was immediately like, How dare you?
He does not specifically mentionThe Huntin his posts.
It was a Saturday morning that it was decided, and I did a conference call.
I said to them, Were going to take the movie off the schedule.
And they kind of said, Is there anymore conversation around it?
(Blum made a separate call to Gilpin after.)
I had not, like, brushed my teeth.
But we really made the decision based on the current events.
If I was offered the choice to make the movie again, I would say yes.
We definitely made marketing mistakes, and we made plenty of mistakes along the way.
So Ive learned a lot.
It might change how I would position movies and how I would consult on the marketing of the movies.
But actually the making of the movies?
It is up to the viewers to decide what their takeaway will be.
Its not about getting the movie out now … or acting rashly.
Not that anyone did act rashly.
Blum always wanted the same thing.
I love the movie.
Streaming movies just dont have the same impact on the culture yet even though more people probably see them.
And we think the movie may actually, ironically, bring people together.
I loved that idea, but it was their idea.
Happily, I dont think America is paying attention to Hollywood release schedules.
But whether most of the audience is aware of it or not, I dont care at all.
I care if they like the movie.
