The producers behind the Trump biopic “The Apprentice” say the film is a “fair and balanced portrait” of the former president as the latter’s legal team sent the producers a cease and desist letter.
“The film is a fair and balanced portrait of the former president,” the producers said in a statement to TheWrap. “We want everyone to see it and then decide.”
The embattled politician is reportedly seeking to block “The Apprentice” from potential distribution deals out of Cannes. The film from Iranian-Danish filmmaker Ali Abbasi stars Sebastian Stan as the former (and possible future) president.
Trump himself also threatened legal action over the film on Monday, with his campaign’s chief spokesman Steven Cheung telling TheWrap they will “be filing a lawsuit.” (Trump is currently on trial in New York City for his Stormy Daniels hush money fraud conviction.)
“The Apprentice,” named after Trump’s reality show, follows the mogul in his early days as he is mentored by Roy Cohn, played by “Succession” Emmy winner Jeremy Strong.
In his review of the film, TheWrap’s Steve Pond wrote: “It’s a true-life horror story in some ways, and Abbasi approaches it as a Frankenstein tale in which the mad doctor creates a monster and then loses control of it. But after years of Trump imitations (and the real thing), it also can’t help but feel a little cartoonish, and maybe not the best use of the director’s particular talents.”
Variety first reported news of the cease and desist.
