Ali Abbasi‘s controversial Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice has been causing quite a stir at the Cannes Film Festival, and now the former President, and current Republican nominee for the 2024 election, is taking action. Variety exclusively reported that attorneys for Trump have sent a cease and desist letter to the filmmakers to prevent sales or a release in the U.S. following the film’s world premiere earlier this week. According to two sources who have seen the letter, it warns Abbasi and company not to seek a distribution deal. This comes just days after the Trump campaign issued a statement threatening legal action against those behind the film.
Starring Sebastian Stan as the former president, The Apprentice follows Trump during his early days as a real estate tycoon in the 1980s as he rises to power under the guidance of lawyer and political fixer Roy Cohn, played by Succession‘s Jeremy Strong. It shows his evolution into the Art of the Deal magnate that became so prevalent in society, painting what has been described as a very human, if unflattering, portrait of the business mogul. His less-than-legal business strategies, abuse of diet pills, and the rape of his first wife Ivana (Maria Bakalova) are among the details portrayed in the feature.
Producers for the film have since stood behind its portrayal of Trump, with a representative releasing a statement on Friday saying, “The film is a fair and balanced portrait of the former president. We want everyone to see it and then decide.” Abbasi, whose previous work includes the 2022 Best International Film contender Holy Spider, had previously responded to Trump‘s legal threats at a press conference at Cannes, sounding relatively unconcerned about the possibility of a lawsuit and even offering a personal screening for the former president before reaching a distribution deal. “Everybody talks about him suing a lot of people — they don’t talk about his success rate though, you know.”
Trump’s Legal Team Claims ‘The Apprentice’ Is “Pure Malicious Defamation”
Trump‘s campaign communications director, Steven Cheung, issued a scathing statement responding to The Apprentice‘s debut at Cannes. “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.” Featuring a screenplay written by journalist Gabriel Sherman, the film was always expected to be contentious as it comes in the heat of the 2024 election and amid a historic trial involving Trump, which marks the first time a former U.S. president has been charged on the state or federal level.
The independently produced film now faces an uncertain future, despite receiving an 8-minute standing ovation at Cannes along with solid reviews. Trump‘s team isn’t the only one planning legal action against Abbasi and company either. According to reports, Dan Snyder, the former owner of the Washington Commanders who had previously invested in The Apprentice, has also threatened his own cease-and-desist letter and is said to be furious over how the film portrays the former president.
Stay tuned here at Collider for more developments on The Apprentice.
via Collider