The provocative biographical drama, 'The Apprentice,' of young Donald Trump, the former US president, and 2024 Republican presidential candidate, is scheduled for release in US and Canadian theaters this October. That would put the film's release just weeks before the November presidential election, various media report.
The film, which has raised a lot of controversy, has been acquired by Briarcliff Entertainment for an October 11 release. This Santa Monica, California indie distributor is confident in positioning the film both for a pre-election audience and for an awards campaign says The Hollywood Reporter.
Directed by Ali Abbasi and written by Gabriel Sherman, Vanity Fair's veteran Trump biographer, 'The Apprentice' stars Emmy nominee Sebastian Stan as Trump, according to Xinhua news agency.
The film, which bowed at the Cannes Film Festival in May, chronicles Trump's career as a New York real estate developer in the 1970s and 1980s. Its Cannes premiere provoked controversy almost immediately, the Los Angeles Times reported.
After the film was released, Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung blasted it as "garbage" and "pure fiction," saying the campaign intends to sue the filmmakers to block the film's release, the newspaper said.
Since its Cannes appearance, 'The Apprentice' was sold to Canada, Europe, and parts of Asia but struggled to find US distribution since studios, streamers, and indie distributors did not want to risk riling Trump and his base, the report said.
After months of intense negotiations, though, the domestic distribution rights were secured by Briarcliff Entertainment, the report added.
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