The Apprentice Movie With Sebastian Stan Gets Cease And Desist From Former President Trump
The upcoming release of The Apprentice movie has reportedly been halted, as filmmakers have received a cease and desist letter from Donald Trump’s lawyers. According to an exclusive report in Variety, the former president and two-time popular vote loser is seeking to block the film, which is based on his life and real estate career throughout the late 20th century, from release. The Apprentice held its world premiere earlier this month at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, in competition for the prestigious Palme d’Or award.
Plenty of Controversy
Since the Apprentice movie was first announced, audiences around the globe likely could have predicted the release would court major controversy. Donald Trump has become a major source of culture war bickering from across the political spectrum, with many American voters referring to the former president as a full-on fascist.
Furthermore, Trump is a notoriously thin-skinned and litigious person, who has spent decades of his time and millions of his dollars shutting down his detractors, demanding compliments from major publications, and narcissistically self-aggrandizing at every possible opportunity.
Trump And His Supporters Are Unconvinced
Producers of the Apprentice movie have shot down the cease and desist letter, explaining that they believe the film is a “fair and balanced” look into Donald Trump’s life and career as a real estate mogul.
The Apprentice director Ali Abbasi has even stated that he believes Trump would approve of the film if he were to watch it, and publicly offered to screen the movie for the 45th president.
Still, Trump supporters who have seen the film have been disapproving so far, including one financier who donated a large sum to the production while mistakenly laboring under the delusion that the film would be a pro-Trump puff piece.
A Negative Light
While The Apprentice movie is not available to view in a wide release just yet, the film apparently doesn’t shy away from showing the former commander-in-chief in a negative light.
According to insider reports, the movie has several scenes which suggest Donald Trump cut deals with shady crime bosses in order to fund his construction business, as well as a scene where he sexually assaults his former wife, based on court details which outline a history of physical and sexual abuse.
Trump is also apparently portrayed to take weight loss drugs and undergo plastic surgery in the film, which likely wouldn’t sit well with a man who spent more than 25 years writing to the co-founder of Spy Magazine insisting that they retract a 1988 statement that referred to him as a “short-fingered vulgarian.”
Unintentional Support
While the cease and desist letter may seem scary at a glance, it likely won’t have any impact on the release of The Apprentice movie.
In fact, Donald Trump’s lawyers may have inadvertently supported the film by threatening legal action against it, by raising the notoriety of the upcoming release and publicizing the Trump campaign’s distaste for the production just before the upcoming 2024 election.
It Won’t Change Any Minds
Trump is such a polarizing figure in the modern cultural landscape that the release of The Apprentice movie will likely do nothing to change the hearts and minds of moviegoers across the world.
No matter how you feel about the former president, The Apprentice will likely see a wide release before the end of the calendar year.
Source: Variety
