The upcomingDonald Trumpbiopic, starringSebastian Stanas the controversial billionaire turned President, has come under fireafter an investor (another billionaire) demanded a recut of the movie following an early screening. The film, titledThe Apprentice, is directed by Ali Abbassi (Holy Spider), with a script penned by Gabriel Sherman (Alaska Daily), and focuses on the early years of Trump’s entrepreneurial career. The movie features his time being mentored by Roy Cohn (a political fixer) and his marriage with his first wife, Ivana (Maria Bakalova).
According to a recent report fromVariety, one of the film’s major financiers, Dan Snyder (former owner of the Washington Commanders),is livid that the final cut of the film isn’t the pro-Trump feature he thought it would be.The Apprenticeheld its Cannes premiere yesterday, and Snyder is reportedly still calling for a re-cut after the latest edit shows the controversial figure in an honest light. Snyder reportedly signed on to finance the project, believing it to be aflattering portrayal of the former President.Snyder is a long-time friend and supporter of Donald Trump, investing in his 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns.
Kinematics, who are backed by Snyder, have enlisted lawyers to fight the release of the film, and have sent numerous cease-and-desist trying to kill the film. Emanuel Nuñez, president of Kinematics, has released a statement ensuring that the “creative impasse” didn’t involve Snyder, saying:
“All creative and business decisions involving The Apprentice have always been and continue to be solely made by Kinematics. Mark and I run our company without the involvement of any other third parties.”
Kinematics do not own the copyright overThe Apprenticeand, therefore, cannot have the film removed.
The Apprentice’s Early Script Featured A Controversial Story
Few audiences expectedThe Apprenticetoshow Donald Trumpin a wholly positive light (except Snyder, apparently). An early version of the film’s script has also caused controversy for featuring a hotly tested ‘true story’. The early script featured a scene where Trump raped his then-wife Ivana. The scene was inspired by the real claims Ivana made during the couple’s divorce proceedings. However, towards the end of her life (Ivana died in 2022), she later denied the claims.
Sebastian Stan Shuts Down Journalist For Calling His Disfigured Character a “So-Called Beast”
Sebastian Stan plays a character with a facial disfigurement in his new movie, and corrected a journalist for his choice of words.
Despite its title,The Apprenticehas nothing to do with the hit NBC series Trump later hosted. The film outlinesTrump’s rise to fame and powerin the 70s and 80s, under the tutelage of Roy Cohn. The film has had a rocky road to its Cannes premiere, jumping in and out of production hell over seven years. This is mainly due to multiple financiers pulling out of the project - one after Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building following his 2020 Presidential loss, and another after Ivana’s death in 2022.
The Apprenticeis finally here though, and its details are shrouded in mystery, as the cast have refused to do any major press rounds, letting the film speak for itself. Alongside Sebastian Stan and Maria Bakalova,The Apprenticealso stars Jeremy Strong (Succession) as Roy Cohn, and Martin Donovan (Tenet) as Donald’s father, Fred Trump.
The Apprenticehad its world premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on August 08, 2025.
