The Hunt director blames political ‘rush to judgment’ for film’s cancellation

Craig Zobel, director of cancelled thriller The Hunt, has spoken for the first time, attributing the film’s fate to a public “rush to judgement”.

The Hunt was pulled from cinemas last week after its trailer and leaked plot details sparked a political row.

The trailer depicts a group of Right-wing people fleeing from a group of rich Left-wing people who are hunting them for sport.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film was originally called Red State v Blue State.

The film drew the ire of Donald Trump, shortly before it was cancelled. The US President tweeted: “Liberal Hollywood is Racist at the highest level, and with great Anger and Hate!”

Zobel has denied wanting to stir controversy, saying: “If I believed this film could incite violence, I wouldn’t have made it.

“Our ambition was to poke at both sides of the aisle equally,” he added in an e-mail exchange with Varsity.

“We seek to entertain and unify, not enrage and divide. It is up to the viewers to decide what their takeaway will be.”