The creator of "The Leftovers" returns to film with a script about a hunting trip where humans are the prey. After keeping busy with the end of HBO’s “The Leftovers” and preparing for the release later this year of his “Watchmen” TV series, Damon Lindelof is making his return to movies with a social thriller with a killer twist. Lindelof has teamed up with Jason Blum’s Blumhouse Studios for “The Hunt,” a social thriller about a high-end hunting trip with unusual targets: humans. A newly released first trailer plays like a commercial for the psychotic luxury trip, with very little hint at the more sinister elements of the story.
Per the official synopsis: “Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don’t know where they are, or how they got there. In the shadow of a dark internet conspiracy theory, a group of globalist elites gathers for the very first time at a remote Manor House to hunt humans for sport. But the elites’ master plan is about to be derailed because one of the hunted, Crystal (Betty Gilpin), knows The Hunters’ game better than they do. She turns the tables on the killers, picking them off, one by one, as she makes her way toward the mysterious woman (Hilary Swank) at the center of it all.”
The cast is stacked with an eclectic blend of comedic and dramatic talent, though none of them appear in this trailer. Swank and Gilpin will be joined by Emma Roberts, Justin Hartley, Ike Barinholtz, Glenn Howerton, Amy Madigan, Reed Birney, and Macon Blair, among others.
Lindelof co-wrote the script with “Watchmen” producer Nick Cuse, who’s also a co-producer on Cary Fukunaga’s “Maniac.” “The Hunt” is directed by Craig Zobel (“Z for Zachariah”), a three-time director on “The Leftovers.” Lindelof is not new to movies, having previously written or co-written the scripts for such hits as “World War Z,” “Star Trek Into Darkness,” “Prometheus,” “Cowboys & Aliens,” and “Tomorrowland.”
A prolific producer across genres, Blum is best known for producing horror franchises as “The Purge” and “Paranormal Activity,” as well as “Get Out.” Last year, he produced the Best Picture contender “BlacKkKlansmen,” by Spike Lee. Check out the extremely creepy teaser trailer (including some disturbingly chipper voiceover) for “The Hunt” below.
