'The Hunt' is 'exactly the same' as before delay, says Jason Blum as UK release date is announced

Controversial horror movie The Hunt is still “exactly the same film” it was before the release was delayed, according to producer Jason Blum.

The film has now been officially announced for a UK release on 11 March — almost six months after it was originally supposed to debut.

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Directed by Compliance filmmaker Craig Zobel, the movie follows a dozen Americans who have been kidnapped by a group of elites as part of a game in which humans are hunted for sport.

The worldwide release of The Hunt was cancelled in the wake of several high-profile mass shootings in the USA and criticism of the movie by President Donald Trump.

The film is now back on the release calendar for next month, with Blum telling Bloody Disgusting he “definitely could have lived without the unpleasantness of last year”.

He added: “The frustrating part was that everyone was talking about a movie they hadn’t seen.

“This time we decided to launch it in a very different way, and it went much better because people see it, saw it, and understood it’s a satire and it pokes fun at both sides, and it wasn’t as advertised the first time around.”

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Blum also confirmed that the movie has not been altered in the wake of the controversy.

“Frame for frame, every single thing is the same,” he said.

A new UK poster has also been released for the movie, steering away from the political angle of the narrative, whereas the controversy features heavily in the new US marketing campaign.

Lost and The Leftovers creator Damon Lindelof, who co-wrote The Hunt, said earlier this month that the time is right for the film to see the light of day.

He said: “As more and more people start to see it, we’ve gained confidence in the fact that this is not a dangerous movie. This is not a provocative movie. This is not a divisive movie.

“I think the big shift between now and then is that more people have seen it and they’ve responded positively.”

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The Hunt stars Betty Gilpin, Ike Barinholtz, Emma Roberts, Macon Blair and Hilary Swank.

The movie is one of many Blumhouse horror projects arriving at the start of this year, including Fantasy Island and Leigh Whannell’s reimagining of The Invisible Man.