Universal has cancelled its forthcoming satirical horror film The Hunt after widespread criticism following mass shootings in Texas and Ohio. 

The movie was set to reflect the division in US politics, following liberal elites as they hunt and kill ‘deplorables’ (a term used by Hillary Clinton to describe Trump supporters) for sport. Marketing of the film had already been put on hold after two tragic massacres in one weekend took the lives of 31 people.

The timing of the cancellation suggests recent tweets by Donald Trump also impacted the decision. On Friday (August 9), the president wrote on Twitter: “Liberal Hollywood is Racist at the highest level, and with great Anger and Hate! They like to call themselves “Elite”, but they are not Elite. In fact, it is often the people that they so strongly oppose that are actually the Elite.”

“The movie coming out is made in order to inflame and cause chaos”, he continued. “They create their own violence, and then try to blame others. They are the true Racists, and are very bad for our Country!”

The trailer for The Hunt – which stars Hilary Swank, Betty Gilpin, Ike Barinholtz, and Emma Roberts – is gory, graphic, and features an array of weapons used to murder Americans from typically ‘red’ states. The production company behind the film is Blumhouse, who also produce the politically-charged The Purge films.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Universal said: “We stand by our filmmakers and will continue to distribute films in partnership with bold and visionary creators, like those associated with this satirical social thriller, but we understand that now is not the right time to release this film.”

The film was slated for release on September 27, and there’s no information yet as to whether Universal will release the film at a later date.