It’s been almost a century since Richard Connell’s short story “The Most Dangerous Game” was first published in 1924, and it’s been inspiring other artists ever since. It’s been adapted countless times in almost every medium, including 1994’s cult classic Surviving the Game, and its DNA can be seen in stories like The Running Man, Battle Royale, and The Hunger Games. Now it’s getting a modern upgrade befitting the world of 2019, in the new action-horror film The Hunt written by Dameon Lindelof, where a bunch of rich elites kidnap lower class prey for a deadly excursion. But the first trailer for the film shows that when you go on the hunt for humans, they can, and will, fight back.
Glow‘s Betty Gilpin stars as Crystal, one of 12 strangers who wake up in a clearing where they don’t know where they are, how they got there, or why they’ve been chosen. Set against “the shadow of a dark internet conspiracy theory,” the elites’ grand plan to go on the hunt for their prey goes wrong. Crystal “knows The Hunters’ game better than they do” and turns things around on them; she heads to toward the mysterious woman at the center of it all, played by Hilary Swank.
Unlike the short story the film is based on, which saw a world-class hunter of fame and fortune being stalked by another rich man with incredible talents and means, this adaptation feels far more reflective of our modern world. Here, the wealthy prey on those on the other end of the social ladder, for nothing more than fun and sport. But if just one man was dangerous in 1924, just imagine how deadly it will be to hunt a dozen fed-up people in 2019.
The Hunt, co-written by Nick Cuse, also stars Emma Roberts, Ethan Suplee, Justin Hartley, Glenn Howerton, and Ike Barinholtz. Directed by Craig Zobel, who was behind the camera for some of The Leftovers‘ best episodes, it goes on the prowl in theaters this fall, September 27.
Featured Image: Universal Pictures