The Apprentice is a 2024 film directed by Ali Abbasi and written by Gabriel Sherman. Starring Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump, the film examines Trump's career as a real estate businessman in New York in the 1970s and 80s. The film also stars Jeremy Strong, Maria Bakalova, and Martin Donovan - Wikipedia
Trump lawyers seek to block US release of biopic The Apprentice
Ali Abbasi’s film, which shocked audiences at its world premiere at Cannes, depicts former president raping his first wife
Trump lawyers seek to block US release of biopic The Apprentice | Donald Trump | The Guardian
Léonie Chao-Fong
Fri 24 May 2024 17.05 EDT
Lawyers for Donald Trump have sent a cease-and-desist letter to the producers of The Apprentice in an attempt to block its US sale and release after the film – which depicts the former US president raping his first wife – shocked audiences at its world premiere at the Cannes film festival.
Lawyers for Donald Trump have sent a cease-and-desist letter to the producers of The Apprentice in an attempt to block its US sale and release after the film – which depicts the former US president raping his first wife – shocked audiences at its world premiere at the Cannes film festival.
The Trump campaign said earlier this week they would take legal action against Ali Abbasi’s film, with spokesperson Stephen Cheung vowing “to address the blatantly false assertions from these pretend film-makers”.
“This garbage is pure fiction which sensationalizes lies that have been long debunked,” Cheung told Variety on Monday. “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 section of a bargain bin at a soon-to-be-closed discount movie store. It belongs in a dumpster fire.”
Dan Snyder, the former owner of the NFL’s Washington Commanders as well as a billionaire backer of the film and a Trump supporter, is also said to be preparing his own cease-and-desist letter to block a US distribution deal. Snyder, who invested in The Apprentice believing that it would paint a positive portrait of Trump, was reportedly “furious” after viewing a rough cut of the film, Variety reported.
In response to the cease-and-desist letter, the producers behind the film said it was “a fair and balanced portrait of the former president”, according to a statement reported by multiple outlets. “We want everyone to see it and then decide.”
During a Monday screening at the Cannes film festival of Abbasi’s film, which stars Sebastian Stan as Trump and opens with a disclaimer that the events depicted are fictionalized, audience members reportedly gasped over scenes including
- Trump getting liposuction,
- having scalp-reduction surgery
- and – most controversially – a scene in which he pushes his first wife, Ivana, to the ground and rapes her.
Ivana initially described what followed as a rape, but she later walked back the claim.
The Trump campaign did not respond to requests for comments about the letter. Speaking to the press recently, Abbasi appeared unconcerned by the threat of legal action.
- “Donald’s team should watch the movie before they start suing us,” he said.
- “Everyone’s always talking about him suing a lot of people. They don’t talk about his success rate, though.”
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The Apprentice left the Cannes Film Festival empty-handed, with no announcement of a U.S. distribution deal following former President Donald Trump’s threat of a lawsuit and cease-and-desist demand against the filmmakers.
In addition, the movie failed to win any prizes at Saturday’s closing ceremony, despite some movie pundits predicting that actor Sebastian Stan would be rewarded for his portrayal of Trump.
While a buyer could materialize in the weeks ahead, the road to U.S. distribution looks uncertain as streamers and specialty theatrical labels would have to weigh the possibility of a messy and protracted legal fight.
While a buyer could materialize in the weeks ahead, the road to U.S. distribution looks uncertain as streamers and specialty theatrical labels would have to weigh the possibility of a messy and protracted legal fight.
- Box-office prospects also appear dim, as audiences have largely shunned political and other big-issue movies in recent years.
Ivana Trump herself has denied that her then-husband ever raped her.
Following the Cannes premiere, Trump’s campaign threatened to sue the filmmakers.
- “We will be filing a lawsuit to address the blatantly false assertions from these pretend filmmakers,” the Trump campaign’s chief spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement.
- “This garbage is pure fiction which sensationalizes lies that have been long debunked.”
- He also called the film “malicious defamation.”
“It is a concoction of lies that repeatedly defames President Trump and constitutes direct foreign interference in America’s elections,” the letter stated.
“If you do not immediately cease and desist all distribution and marketing of this libelous farce, we will be forced to pursue all appropriate legal remedies.”
The Apprentice was independently financed and produced outside the Hollywood studio system — mostly through overseas companies as well as some domestic investors.
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