Ali Abbasi’s film The Apprentice has been controversial since it was first announced. But finally, after its initial premiere at Cannes in May, The Hollywood Reporter announced that the film will premiere in theaters on October 11. This reveal is yet another twist in the current election cycle. The film stars Sebastian Stan as a young Donald Trump and follows the real estate developer and reality star in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Succession’s own Jeremy Strong also stars as the McCarthy-era lawyer, Roy Cohn, who aided Trump at the time.
The film’s controversy is unsurprising, especially due to its slated release date. The Apprentice is reportedly about the beginning of Trump’s career in real estate and chronicles his descent into a corrupt world. So close to Trump’s third campaign, it has caused some concern among the former president’s camp. His team attempted to block the release of the film as well as Dan Snyder, a billionaire behind the company Kinematics. Snyder is a Trump supporter who disliked the final result of the film. If history has taught critics and viewers alike, however, this can only mean good news for the release.
Controversy Is Only Good News for ‘The Apprentice’
Billionaires attempting to save public face is not a new phenomenon. Arguably, the best film ever made also encountered a similar situation. In 1941, young director Orson Welles endeavored to create a truly American story that took heavy inspiration from the newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. Citizen Kane would go on to be widely regarded, but at the time, it seemed as though the film would never see the light of day. Hearst was so opposed to the film that he forbade any advertisements or mention of Citizen Kane in his papers.
That isn’t to say that controversy alone would make The Apprentice a masterpiece. Citizen Kane is a one-in-a-million film. But any time a film has the threat of censorship, more people are likely to want to see it. Releasing the film a month before the U.S. Presidential Election is also a masterclass in marketing. If The Apprentice gets a wide release, this could be the event of the year. Casting acclaimed actors such as Stan and Strong is a calculated move as well. It gives credibility to a film that could have easily been seen as propaganda for the Trump campaign. Viewers will only know for sure what the film will amount to when The Apprentice gets released on October 11.
via Collider