Are US Distributors too afraid to pick up the apprentice?
Still, some distributors might choose to play it safe by avoiding the film at least until the result of November's election is known, given threats of possible legal action combined with the already heightened environment surrounding Trump's legal woes and re-election campaign.
Although the little time since The Apprentice's formal May 20 premiere at Cannes may still be too early for all possible US distributors to even watch the film, let alone decide to acquire, its success in already securing overseas distributors is clearly intriguing. Most viewers would think that the movie's topic would naturally draw a lot of media coverage and interested viewers on all sides of the political spectrum given the approaching presidential election in November.
US Release of Sebastian Stan Donald Trump Movie Reportedly In Jeopardy Reportedly Based on 78% RT Score and Oscar Buzz
According to fresh rumors, Sebastian Stan's Donald Trump biography The Apprentice is having trouble getting a US distribution. Under Iranian-Danish director Ali Abbasi, The Apprentice follows Stan as a young Donald Trump in 1980s New York during his early career. Early reviews of the film, which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, have highlighted its storyline as well as Stan's and Jeremy Strong's (Trump's erstwhile mentor Roy Cohn) performances. The Apprentice is now getting generally good reviews; on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes, he has a fresh rating of 78%.
With numerous international rights quietly pre-sold over two years ago, Puck's Matthew Belloni claims that despite its generally excellent reaction and already being picked up in various outside countries, the film has still not landed an official US distributor. This follows Trump's attorney David Warrington's response to a prior cease and desist notification to Abbasi and screenwriter Gabriel Sherman characterizing the Biopic as "direct foreign interference in America's elections."
United States Release
Although it is abundantly evident that Trump's legal team is not very happy with how the former president is portrayed in Abbasi's film, first impressions of The Apprentice's script have indicated that it tries to depict its topic objectially. Still, some distributors might choose to play it safe by avoiding the film at least until the result of November's election is known, given threats of possible legal action combined with the already heightened environment surrounding Trump's legal problems and re-election campaign.
Whether a US distributor will intervene to grab the American distribution rights before then is yet unknown, but if one does, the debate around The Apprentice might still cause them to hold off from revealing an official US Release date until far later. Still, as The Apprentice starts touring theaters all across, additional foreign viewers are obviously intrigued in seeing Stan try his hand at one of the most identifiable and divisive political personalities from modern history.
Between a low-budget British period piece and a 3.5-hour World War II film, it's hard to predict which biography would become an incredible hit.
Through the prism of a young intern caught in a perilous game of dishonesty and treachery in a global company, where every ally could be an enemy, the Apprentice explores the competitive realm of corporate espionage.
The film is an amazing tale of ambition, avarice, and treachery. The storyline is complex and skillfully written, and the people are realistic and interesting. This gripping mystery will appeal to genre buffs and can be a decent gauge of the caliber of the film. The popularity of this Biopic is yet unknown, too soon to say.
