The controversial Donald Trump biopic ‘The Apprentice’ has drawn the former president’s wrath after its explosive debut at the Cannes Film Festival this week. Trump’s legal team has fired off a cease and desist letter to the filmmakers, demanding they do not pursue distribution deals for the movie’s U.S. release, according to sources with knowledge of the letter.
Directed by Ali Abbasi and starring Sebastian Stan as Trump, ‘The Apprentice’ offers an unflinching look at the real estate mogul’s rise to power and infamy in 1980s New York. It delves into his ruthless business tactics, troubled personal life including the alleged rape of his first wife Ivana (Maria Bakalova), substance abuse issues, and Faustian relationship with notorious fixer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong).
The film’s no-holds-barred depiction of Trump’s ascension into the cultural zeitgeist of the era has garnered both rapturous reviews and cries of “defamation” from the former president’s camp since its Cannes premiere.
“This ‘film’ is pure malicious defamation, should not see the light of day, and doesn’t even deserve a place in the straight-to-DVD bargain bin…it belongs in a dumpster fire,” Trump’s campaign communications director Steven Cheung declared.
Despite the thunderous backlash, the independent production’s creative team is standing firmly behind their work’s authenticity and impartiality.
“The film is a fair and balanced portrait of the former president. We want everyone to see it and then decide,” said a producers’ statement addressing the cease and desist order.
At the film’s Cannes press conference, director Abbasi responded nonchalantly to Trump’s legal saber-rattling, cheekily offering a personal screening and remarking “Everybody talks about him suing a lot of people — they don’t talk about his success rate though, you know?”
‘The Apprentice’ now finds itself embroiled in a very real legal battleground as it seeks US distribution in the heated run-up to the 2024 presidential election, where Trump is again the Republican nominee. Its Cannes triumph, earning an 8-minute standing ovation, may be short-lived if Trump’s lawyers manage to block its stateside release.
The former president’s team isn’t the only one exploring legal avenues either. Reports indicate Dan Snyder, who previously invested in Trump’s reality show ‘The Apprentice,’ is also pursuing a cease and desist over the biopic’s portrayal of the controversial figure.
As the fight escalates, ‘The Apprentice’ has emerged as the new frontline pitting artistic expression against personal privacy and power. With both sides digging in their heels, the movie’s domestic fate hangs in the balance of this high-stakes legal showdown’s outcome.
Feel free to read Gazettely’s review of Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice if you want to know more about the movie.
