NEW YORK — After struggling to drum up interest following its Cannes Film Festival premiere, “The Apprentice,” starring Sebastian Stan as a young Donald Trump, has found a distributor that plans to release the film shortly before the election in November.
Briarcliff Entertainment will release “The Apprentice” on Oct. 11 in U.S. and Canadian theaters, just weeks before Americans cast their ballots on Nov. 5.
Director Ali Abbasi, the Danish Iranian filmmaker, had prioritized getting “The Apprentice” into theaters before voters head to the polls. After larger studios and film distributors opted not to bid on the film, Abbasi complained in early June on X that “for some reason certain power people in your country don’t want you to see it!!!”
Steven Cheung, communications director for the Trump campaign, in a statement Friday called the film’s release “election interference by Hollywood elites right before November.”
“This ‘film’ is pure malicious defamation, should never 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,” Cheung said.
Part of what dampened interest in “The Apprentice” was the potential threat of legal action. After its Cannes premiere in May, Cheung called the movie “pure fiction” and said the Trump team would file a lawsuit “to address the blatantly false assertions from these pretend filmmakers.”
“The Apprentice” chronicles Trump’s rise to power in New York real estate under the tutelage of defense attorney Roy Cohn (played by Jeremy Strong). Late in the movie, Trump is depicted raping his wife, Ivana Trump (played by Maria Bakalova ). In Ivana Trump’s 1990 divorce deposition, she stated that Trump raped her. Trump denied the allegation and Ivana Trump later said she didn’t mean it literally, but rather that she had felt violated.
Abbasi has argued Trump might not dislike the movie.
“I would offer to go and meet him wherever he wants and talk about the context of the movie, have a screening and have a chat afterwards, if that’s interesting to anyone at the Trump campaign,” Abbasi said in May.
Briarcliff Entertainment has released films including the 2022 documentary “Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down” and the Liam Neeson thriller “Memory.” The indie distributor is run by Tom Ortenberg, who at Lionsgate helped released Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 9/11” and as chief executive of Open Road backed the best picture Oscar winner “Spotlight.”
“The Apprentice” film featuring former President Donald Trump has secured a distributor and is set to release prior to the upcoming election. The film, which is based on Trump’s time as the host of the reality TV show “The Apprentice,” has been highly anticipated by fans and critics alike.
The film will delve into Trump’s rise to fame as a reality TV star and businessman, as well as his controversial presidency. It will also explore the impact of his time on “The Apprentice” on his political career.
The distributor of the film, Lionsgate, has high hopes for its success. Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer stated, “We believe that ‘The Apprentice’ will be a hit with audiences, given the current political climate and interest in Trump’s presidency.”
The release of the film prior to the election is sure to generate buzz and excitement among viewers. Many are eager to see how Trump’s time on “The Apprentice” influenced his presidency and shaped his political views.
Critics have already begun speculating about the potential impact of the film on the election. Some believe that it could sway undecided voters, while others argue that it may simply serve as a reminder of Trump’s controversial past.
Regardless of its political implications, “The Apprentice” film is sure to be a must-see for fans of Trump and reality TV alike. With its release just around the corner, audiences can expect an entertaining and informative look at one of the most polarizing figures in modern American politics.
