Universal Pictures has pulled advertisements for film billed a gory satire about well-heeled vacationers slaughtering "deplorables" for sport after recent mass shootings that killed 31 people and injured 53 others.
The studio's move on "The Hunt" — an R-rated film from producer Jason Blum and starring Betty Gilpin and Hilary Swank — came over the weekend after ESPN withdrew a spot that the cable network had previously cleared, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The violent film, according to THR, follows "a dozen MAGA types who wake up in a clearing and realize they are being stalked for sport by elite liberals."
It was scheduled to be released Sept. 27.
"Out of sensitivity to the attention on the country's recent shooting tragedies, Universal Pictures and the filmmakers of 'The Hunt' have temporarily paused its marketing campaign and are reviewing materials as we move forward," a Universal Pictures spokesperson told Fox News on Wednesday.
According to THR, the movie's original title was "Red State vs. Blue State" —featuring "guns blazing along with other ultra-violent killings as the elites pick off their prey."
The film's characters refer to their victims as "deplorables," a term Democrat Hillary Clinton used to describe supporters of Republican Donald Trump in the 2016 election.
"Nothing better than going out to the manor and slaughtering a dozen deplorables," one character says, according to THR.
© 2023 Newsmax. All rights reserved.