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Hunters bosses and networks were "terrified" of Amazon show

Photo credit: Amazon Prime
Photo credit: Amazon Prime

From Digital Spy

Amazon Prime's Nazi-slaughtering series Hunters "terrified" bosses and networks before it was commissioned.

Starring The Irishman's Al Pacino and produced by Get Out mastermind Jordan Peele, the new show reeks of Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Bastards, so you can imagine why producers might have acted with slight trepidation when hearing the original pitch.

Kicking back with Digital Spy and other media recently, producer Nikki Toscano revealed: "I think that one of the reasons why I was drawn to this project is because I was terrified of its ambition. But I thought that it's a very, very important story to tell.

"I think that the juxtaposition of the 1970s New York City with the Holocaust, with some of the levity and the humour, was certainly a challenge for us to balance throughout," she added. "But it was a challenge that I thought was an obstacle worth trying to get over."

Photo credit: Amazon Prime
Photo credit: Amazon Prime

Related: Why Al Pacino said "yes" to Nazi-hunting show Hunters instead of other TV shows

Series creator David Weil later weighed in on the pitching process and how it was a "thrilling and also very strange" experience.

"I had written an 80-page bible for the show. Jordan Peele was on as a producer. And yet I think there was a lot of fear from buyers. It's a really bold show. It certainly doesn't shy away from certain things.

"So there was certainly a lot of fear, I think, from certain buyers, the more traditional buyers."

Asked why he thought people were fearful of the show, he explained, "you know, oddly enough, I think that somehow, the killing of Nazis – you know, heroes killing… a diverse band of "others" kind of rising up and trying to reclaim power in some way, scares people. Because it's not the status quo."

Photo credit: Amazon Prime
Photo credit: Amazon Prime

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One person who didn't fear taking on the show though was Jen Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. Weil said: "We walked in to give our pitch, and before we even could, she just bought it in the room."

"She was so exhilarated and excited by the show, and she's been such a great champion of the show, and really understanding the vision, and pushing us to go further, and to really embrace – I don't know – this more radical, nuanced beast that is the show. So it's been really a thrill to be at Amazon."

Hunters premieres on Amazon Prime Video today (February 21).


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