(AFP)
A highly controversial film depicting former President Donald Trump in an unflattering light during his early career as a New York real estate mogul has secured a U.S. distribution deal, setting the stage for its American theatrical release this fall. Titled “The Apprentice”—a name notably shared with Trump’s reality TV show—the film made its debut at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in May. However, as its producers sought U.S. distribution, they faced legal threats from Trump’s attorneys, who attempted to block the biopic from being shown.
Despite these efforts, NBC News has reported that “The Apprentice” is slated for release in U.S. theaters on October 11, just weeks before the 2024 election. This timing is likely to heighten the film’s already significant political impact.
In response to the film’s distribution, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung issued a scathing statement, labeling the biopic as “pure malicious defamation” and hinting at potential legal action against its producers. “We will be filing a lawsuit to address the blatantly false assertions from these pretend filmmakers,” Cheung said. “This garbage is pure fiction which sensationalizes lies that have been long debunked.”
The most controversial scene in the film depicts a young Trump allegedly sexually assaulting his first wife, Ivana, in 1990—a claim she initially made during their divorce proceedings but later retracted in 2015. Ivana Trump passed away in 2022 and was buried at Trump’s Bedminster, New Jersey golf course, as per reported Time.
Despite receiving a cease-and-desist letter from Trump’s legal team, the film’s producers have stood firm, insisting that “The Apprentice” offers a “fair and balanced portrait of the former president” and encouraging audiences to “see it and then decide” for themselves. Cheung, however, dismissed the film, stating it “belongs in a dumpster fire” and “doesn’t even deserve a place in the straight-to-DVD section of a bargain bin at a soon-to-be-closed discount movie store.”
The film features Sebastian Stan as a young Trump and Jeremy Strong, known for his role as Kendall Roy in HBO’s “Succession,” as Trump’s mob-connected advisor, Roy Cohn. The script was penned by Vanity Fair special correspondent Gabriel Sherman, with Iranian-Danish filmmaker Adi Abbasi directing the project.
Abbasi, undeterred by the threat of litigation, remarked that while Trump is known for his litigious nature, his “success rate” in such lawsuits is relatively low. He even suggested that Trump might find “The Apprentice” an enjoyable watch, stating, “I don’t necessarily think this is a film [Trump] would dislike.”
The film’s backing by conservative billionaire Dan Snyder adds another layer of intrigue. Snyder reportedly believed the biopic would cast Trump in a favorable light. However, after a private screening in February, he was reportedly “furious” over the unflattering portrayal of the former president.
Beyond the controversial scene involving Ivana Trump, the film also depicts Trump cutting deals with the mafia to build his skyscrapers, using amphetamines to lose weight, and undergoing liposuction and plastic surgery, further adding to the film’s contentious nature.
