Next to the Megalopolis screening, The Apprentice is one of the buzziest films expected to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this week. It’s the first major portrayal of former President Donald Trump on the big screen, and many plot details have been kept under wraps. What we do know is that Sebastian Stan will be playing a young Trump, and the film will mostly center around his relationship with mentor Roy Cohn, who is played by Succession cast member Jeremy Strong. Very few people have actually seen the film, but according to a recent report, some who have aren’t happy. One investor in the film is allegedly furious with the final cut and how it portrays the real estate mogul.
A report published by Variety details the behind-the-scenes scramble happening in the wake of investors viewing the final cut of The Apprentice. According to their sources, Dan Snyder, a billionaire friend and supporter of Trump invested over a million dollars into the film under the impression The Apprentice would be a flattering portrayal of the 45th president, unlike the Brendon Gleeson Trump portrayal in The Comey Rule miniseries. That is apparently not entirely the case, and now the investor is reportedly furious and feels misled. The Snyder-backed company Kinematics is where the investment came from, and now they are trying to block the film’s release.
The entire hoopla has resulted in a legal battle, with cease-and-desist letters being sent. However, Kinematics president Emanuel Nuñez has publicly insisted the company was involved in creative discussions involving the film, and Snyder just wasn’t involved. Several scenes that Snyder allegedly took issue with involve interactions between Stan’s Trump and ex-wife Ivana, who is played by Maria Bakalova. Despite pushback, Snyder is not the sole investor in the film, and will likely not be able to have any bearing on the film’s release.
Even if this controversy is to be believed, The Apprentice seems to firmly be premiering at Cannes along with many other highly anticipated 2024 titles. It has yet to secure distribution, but due to the timeliness of the subject matter and the star power involved, there will likely be many interested studios keen to distribute. There will also likely be a push to get the film out before the 2024 presidential election, in which Donald Trump is the leading Republican candidate. Whether this has any impact on the election is yet to be seen, but the media’s impact on elections is more prevalent than ever.
It is also unknown if Snyder will be in attendance at the Cannes Film Festival. The Variety article states that the investor has previously been a fixture at the French festival, however his alleged protest against the film’s release may prevent him from attending. The attention on The Apprentice and its rumored content already made it a buzzy subject for the upcoming awards season, and this behind-the-scenes conflict will likely only increase audience interest. We will just have to wait and see how viewers respond when it’s finally screened.
The Apprentice has yet to lock down a release date, however audiences can expect the film to premiere later this year. For more information on other movies heading to cinemas and streaming in the near future, make sure to keep an eye on our 2024 movie release schedule.
