The Apprentice, a New Biopic about Donald Trump, Got a Cease and Desist Letter

‘The Apprentice,’ a biopic following the life of former president Donald Trump, has received a cease and desist letter from Trump’s lawyers following its recent premiere at this year’s 77th annual Cannes Film Festival. The film focuses on Trump’s career in New York real estate in the 1970s and 80s. It was competing for the Palme d’Or award–the highest prize a film can win at Cannes. 

The film is directed by Ali Abbasi, an Iranian-Danish filmmaker whose other films include ‘Shelley,’ ‘Border’ and ‘Holy Spider.’ It stars Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump, an actor known for his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier. 

Alongside Stan are Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn, mentor to Trump, and Maria Bakalova as Ivana, Trump’s first wife. Strong is known for his role as Kendall Roy in the hit TV series ‘Succession.’ Bakalova has starred in a number of films including ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.’ She has received many honors including winning a Critics’ Choice Award and being nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

Abbasi creates a mentor-protégé dynamic between Stan and Strong’s characters. Stan’s portrayal of Trump transforms from the 70s into the 80s from a wannabe success to an arrogant businessman, under the watch of Strong’s Roy Cohn.

Even though it didn’t end up taking home any awards at Cannes, the film received an eight minute long standing ovation when it premiered at the festival. The script for the movie was written by Gabriel Sherman, a journalist and author who reported on the Trump administration. 

The film has been described by some as an unexpectedly humanistic portrait, though it holds nothing back in showing the unflattering and brutal side of things. It includes several disturbing scenes, including moments depicting sexual and physical assault, shady business deals, drug use, and plastic surgery. 

With the cease and desist, Trump’s attorneys are looking to block the film from being sold to distributors and released in the U.S. Though it is raising some eyebrows, the cease and desist letter might not impact the release of the movie at all. Abbasi doesn’t seem overly concerned about it. In Cannes, he responded to the legal threats by saying, “Everybody talks about him suing a lot of people—they don’t talk about his success rate though, you know?”