‘The Hunt’ controversy, explained: What you need to know about the movie slammed by Trump – USA TODAY

Betty Gilpin, Hilary Swank, Emma Roberts and more star in the horror film "The Hunt," which centers on liberal elites who hunt and kill conservatives. USA TODAY

Last August, Damon Lindelof was hanging wet bathing suits on a resort balcony while vacationing in the Bahamas when his son walked out with his phone and delivered a gobsmacking message: The president just tweeted about your movie.

Lindelof, creator of HBO's "The Leftovers" and "Watchmen,"was fairly certain Donald Trump hadnt seen his new satirical horror action thriller The Hunt it was only 48 hours after a successful first test screening so the screenwriter initially laughed about it. But then my heart sank, because I felt like whatever happened, he wasn't tweeting about our movie. He was tweeting about what someone told him our movie was.

Then again, not many people at that point knew what was really going on with The Hunt, which centers on a cabal of liberal elites (headed by Hilary Swank) who hunt and kill kidnapped conservative deplorables (among them, Emma Roberts and Ike Barinholtz) for sport. The movie, originally set for release last September, pulled its advertising for a week after the mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, then canceled its release after a backlash erupted.

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Crystal (Betty Gilpin) and Gary (Ethan Suplee), an anti-immigration podcaster, try to stay alive in "The Hunt."(Photo: ANNA KOORIS)

Trump, who didnt specifically mention The Hunt by title, tweeted that the movie coming out is made in order ... to inflame and cause chaos. They create their own violence, and then try to blame others. They are the true Racists, and are very bad for our Country!"

For the record, director Craig Zobel says, when the president of the United States pays attention to your movie, it's hard to explain how that even feels.

A whole new round of ruckus could be on tap as The Hunt finally arrives in theaters Friday, though Lindelof already considers it a victory that the movie is going to see the light of day, given what happened.

Heres what you need to know going into The Hunt:

Universal Pictures is canceling the release of "The Hunt" a film that President Donald Trump seemingly criticized earlier this week. Wochit

That was not the goal, says Zobel. Instead, the film, co-written by Lindelof and Nick Cuse, was intendedto send up Internet conspiracies and the countrysideological divisiveness, particularly how people rush to assume something about someone or assume they understand the beliefs of people that they don't know just based on them being 'the other team.

With all the hubbub around the project, the irony wasn't lost on star Betty Gilpin (GLOW), whose hunted character Crystal grabs a gun and fights back against her predators. Though it has violence in it, we talk about the damage (done by) perpetuating myths about what you think is on the other side of your own respective bubble, Gilpin says. The Internet helped us with that little thesis statement.

Justin Hartley and Sylvia Grace Crim are among those being hunted by rich white elites in "The Hunt."(Photo: UNIVERSAL PICTURES)

Zobel figures its partly horror but more of an action thriller with satirical elements and a sense of playfulness. He wanted an Evil Dead 2 energy where it's kind of absurd and any violence or craziness in it is wild and over the top, as a way to remind everybody of what we're doing here, that there'd be fun to the process.

For Lindelof, the scariest part of the subject matter is how nobody wants to be this divided, he says. It makes everybody feel yucky and it's exhausting. This idea of suddenly now Thanksgiving is something that we dread because one of our own family members may have a different ideology than we do is a problem.

The mysterious Athena (Hilary Swank) heads a cabal of wealthy elites with murderous, politically charged intentions in 'The Hunt."(Photo: PATTI PERRET/UNIVERSAL PICTURES)

I consider it an anti-everybody movie, Zobel says with a laugh. The goal is to try to poke fun at everybody that we could think of and feel fresh and current while doing that.

Gilpin has seen a trend in movie scripts the past couple of years to make bubble wish-fulfillment content where it's a lot of people who look and sound like me talking to each other and agreeing. I feel like there is so much red content or blue content, and this is really purple content in a way that feels really risky but also important and hilarious.

Crystal (Betty Gilpin) finds herself on her own in a mission of survival in "The Hunt."(Photo: PATTI PERRET/UNIVERSAL PICTURES)

Stereotypes from both sides of the political aisle are played up in The Hunt, from rich white liberals to anti-immigration podcasters, and no one really seems all that heroic except for Crystal, a Mississippi car-rental employee who doesn't think about politics every day, Zobel says. It was always important to me that she come off like one of the 70% of people that has other things to do.

Various characters of either political persuasion roll their eyes and write her off as someone who's not going to be as capable as she is, Gilpin adds. While she's a very reluctant hero and doesn't want to be there and doesn't want to be a savior, Crystal has had this internal warrior waiting to be handed a spear her whole life. As screwed up as it is, this is her warrior opportunity.

Members of the hunted (Kate Nowlin, left, and Ike Barinholtz), seek help from the owners of a gas station (Amy Madigan and Reed Birney) in "The Hunt."(Photo: PATTI PERRET/UNIVERSAL PICTURES)

Lindelof sees The Hunt as a direct commentary on the times were living in and a divided country no matter who sits in the Oval Office.The movie is trying to say:This is what we believe about one another. You say things in casual conversation or you use violent language talking about the other side. Let us show you what that looks like in practice.

As for Trump, if he does see the movie and he hates it, I'm OK with that. I really am, Lindelof says. And if he loves it, I'm OK with that as well.

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'The Hunt' controversy, explained: What you need to know about the movie slammed by Trump - USA TODAY