Controversial Trump Movie Heads To US Release Before Election

Focused on Donald Trump’s relationship with his mentor Roy Cohn, The Apprentice made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. The movie was quickly met with a cease and desist letter from the Trump team to prevent it from being seen in the United States and threatening legal action. The film has moved forward despite those threats and recently made its US debut. 

The Trump legal team has also categorically denied the narrative presented in The Apprentice, calling the movie slanderous. By far the most controversial scene in the film is a depiction of Donald Trump assaulting his first wife Ivana. While the film would have generated controversy under any circumstances, its release during an election year has fueled allegations that the film is a political hit piece. 

Making its American debut on August 31 at the Telluride Film Festival, The Apprentice hasn’t been subjected to a lawsuit yet. The movie’s US debut was met with a vitriolic public statement from the Trump legal team, stating that “it belongs in a dumpster fire.” Nonetheless, the threatened lawsuit has yet to materialize, though it could still be used as a way to delay a wide release, if not prevent it outright. 

The director of The Apprentice, Ali Abbasi, personally presented the movie at Telluride, where he publicly denied that it was intended as a hit piece against the Trump campaign. This is in line with Abbasi’s previous statements about the controversy around his film, with the director even offering Trump a private screening. Alongside writer Gabriel Sherman, the two have held steadfast in their claim that their film wasn’t motivated by partisan American politics. 

With a cast of popular actors, The Apprentice has some real star power, which could help make the movie a financial success, regardless of the controversy. It stars Sebastian Stan as a young Donald Trump and Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn. They’re joined by Maria Bakalova, Martin Donovan, Charlie Carrick, Mark Rendall, and Joe Pingue. 

The Apprentice was well-received by critics at the Cannes Film Festival where it was considered for the Palme d’Or. After its festival screenings, the movie currently has a 74 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, a score sure to change as more people see it. Given the topic of the film, the discourse around its release is all but guaranteed to be centered on the controversy over everything else. 

Regardless of what happens at both the box office and the polls, The Apprentice is likely to be the most controversial movie of the year. With the specter of a possible lawsuit and the possibility of political protest, it’s likely the film will be making many more headlines ahead of its October 11 release date.

Source: Deadline