(New York) Two weeks after its highly anticipated premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, a film about Donald Trump in the 1980s is still seeking distribution in the United States.
At Cannes, The Apprentice revealed a scathing portrait of the former American president when he was young. The film, which stars Sebastian Stan, charts Mr. Trump’s rise to prominence in New York real estate, under the tutelage of Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), the defense lawyer who served as chief adviser of Joseph McCarthy during the Senate investigations carried out in the 1950s into people suspected of communism.
The Apprentice, directed by Iranian-Danish filmmaker Ali Abbasi, immediately sparked controversy. After the premiere, Mr. Trump’s re-election campaign spokesman, Steven Cheung, called the film “pure fiction” and announced that Mr. Trump’s team would take legal action “to address the blatantly false claims by these so-called filmmakers.”
Whether it was influenced by this threat or not, The Apprentice has yet to be distributed by a major studio or streaming service ― none of which have even made an offer for the film. While the film has been distributed in most countries around the world, it has not yet been distributed in the country where Mr. Trump is running for president.
Although high-profile films usually find buyers before or shortly after their festival showing, negotiations can drag on. A spokesperson for the film’s sales team declined to comment. A person close to the film, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, said the film was the subject of numerous offers domestically.
Earlier this week, Abbasi’s frustration seemed to boil over on X, the social media platform. In response to an article that blamed a flood of sequels and new releases for the films’ recent dismal box office performance, Abbasi made a “new proposal.”
PHOTO VALERY HACHE, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ARCHIVES
Director Ali Abbasi at the Cannes Film Festival last May
“This is not a (expletive) sequel or a (expletive) new version,” Abbasi wrote. It’s called #The_Apprentice and for some reason some people in power in your country don’t want you to see it! ! ! »
Representatives for Trump did not respond to requests for comment. Last Thursday, Mr. Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records following what prosecutors said was an attempt to cover up a hush money payment to pornographic actress Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election.
One scene in the film is particularly explosive. At the end of the film, Trump is shown raping his wife, Ivana Trump (played by Maria Bakalova). In her 1990 divorce deposition, Ivana Trump said he raped her. Trump denied the allegation, and Ivana Trump later clarified that she didn’t mean it literally, but instead felt violated.
Variety previously reported on alleged tensions behind the scenes of The Apprentice. Citing anonymous sources, the trade publication reported that billionaire Dan Snyder, former owner of the Washington Commanders and investor in The Apprentice, had pressured the directors to change the rape scene. Mr. Snyder has already donated to Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign.
Lawyers for Mr. Snyder did not respond to requests for comment.
The release of The Apprentice in most years could prove difficult. In an election year, this is a potential lightning rod. Distributors would face the option of launching it either shortly before the November election or afterward.
The Apprentice received largely positive reviews at Cannes, but was not shortlisted for the prizes awarded by the festival jury. Mr. Strong’s performance was particularly praised as a possible award contender.
At the film’s premiere, Abbasi defended the film’s direct approach, stating that “there is no beautiful metaphor to deal with the rising tide of fascism.”
The next day, the filmmaker dismissed the threat of a lawsuit.
“I don’t necessarily think it’s a movie that he (Trump) wouldn’t like,” Abbasi said. I don’t necessarily think he would like it. I think he would be surprised, you know? And as I said before, I would offer to meet him wherever he wants and talk about the background of the film, arrange a screening and chat afterwards, if anyone from the Trump campaign is interested. »