A controversial biopic about former President Donald Trump, titled “The Apprentice”, has secured a U.S. distribution deal and is set to release in theaters this fall, just weeks before the 2024 election. The film portrays Trump as a controversial figure during his early career in New York real estate, and a particular scene, in which he is depicted sexually assaulting his first wife, Ivana, in 1990, has stirred much of the controversy. The allegation came from divorce proceedings but was later retracted by Ivana in 2015.
Trump’s lawyers tried to prevent the film’s release with a cease-and-desist letter, but the producers defended it as a “fair and balanced portrait.” Despite ongoing threats of legal action from the Trump campaign, which labeled the film as a malicious smear, the movie will premiere on October 11. The cast includes Sebastian Stan as the younger Trump and Jeremy Strong as his adviser Roy Cohn. The screenplay was written by Vanity Fair correspondent Gabriel Sherman, and the film is directed by Iranian-Danish director Adi Abbasi.