Trump biopic “The Apprentice” has finally been acquired by Tom Ortenberg’s Briarcliff Entertainment for domestic distribution — and is targeting a wide release before the election, according to an insider with knowledge of the project.
The film is eyeing an Oct. 11 release date. The film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.
James Shani, who is an executive producer on the project via his Rich Spirit banner, led the group that bought out Kinematics, backed by Dan Snyder, in acquiring the controversial film directed by Ali Abbasi, as TheWrap has previously reported. The move paved the way for “The Apprentice” to finally secure U.S. distribution after Snyder, a staunch conservative, wanted out of the movie.
Negotiations to buy out Kinematics’ stake have been ongoing since Cannes. The buyout gives Ali Abbasi creative control of the film.
“The Apprentice,” starring Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong, had languished without a U.S. distribution deal since debuting in May at the Cannes to strong reviews. Snyder wanted out of the film — he was not among those who read the script and did not know how the project would portray Trump.
The film features a much-discussed recreation sequence where Trump rapes his former wife Ivana (she later recanted the allegation). Snyder donated more than $1 million to Trump and his inaugural committee in 2016 and $100,000 to his 2020 reelection campaign.
“The Apprentice” (not to be conufsed with Trump’s TV competition series of the same name) was written by Gabriel Sherman and directed by Ali Abbasi. It takes a look into the life and career of Trump (Stan) while he worked as a New York real estate mogul during the 1970s and the ’80s. He was supported at the time by lawyer Roy Cohn (Strong), who infamously rose to prominence as Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s chief counsel. The cast also includes Maria Bakalova as Ivana and Martin Donovan as Trump’s father, Fred Trump.
CAA and WME jointly repped U.S. sales in a rare moment of collaboration in brokering the settlement.
Leave a Reply