Is ‘Hunters’ Canceled Or Renewed For Season 2? Amazon Series Faces New Controversy

Amazon Prime’s newest high-profile drama “Hunters” released on Friday, and those who binge-watched it in one weekend are already wondering if they’ll get more. Amazon, however, has not announced if the Al Pacino starrer will be canceled or renewed.

These announcements take time. With shows like “Carnival Row,” Amazon was so pleased with pre-premiere buzz that they renewed the fantasy series before it even dropped. Meanwhile, other series, such as “Lore,” aren’t given notice of cancellation until months later, so it could be a while until fans hear either way.

There is a plan if “Hunters” is renewed for Season 2. “Oh my god, I have five seasons mapped out if I'm lucky enough to get a second season,” creator David Weil told Inverse. “There are so many stories to tell. I'm dying to tell them. And I'm ready.”

Will Weil get the chance to tell his full story, though? That remains unclear. The show is facing some controversy.

“Hunters” tells the story of Nazi hunters in the 1970s. There are plenty of flashbacks to Auschwitz during World War II, but the Auschwitz Memorial Museum wasn’t pleased with the portrayal. They tweeted a photo of the pilot where “Hunters” depicts Nazi soldiers playing a deadly game of chess using their prisoners as game pieces. The memorial museum stated that spreading a fictionalized version of Auschwitz was “dangerous foolishness.”

“Auschwitz was full of horrible pain [and] suffering documented in the accounts of survivors. Inventing a fake game of human chess for [Amazon’s “Hunters”] is not only dangerous foolishness [and] caricature. It also welcomes future deniers. We honor the victims by preserving factual accuracy,” they wrote.

The verified account responded to “Hunters” fans, noting that the writers could have created a fictional camp if they wanted different torture methods. “Invent an non-existing camp and Nazi atrocities perpetrated there. If you however use a real place, respect it's history and suffering of its victims [sic],” the memorial stated.

They added that they are happy to work with filmmakers and others to make sure they portray history respectfully and accurately.

It isn’t clear if the controversy will affect “Hunters” chances at renewal.