The Apprentice, Ali Abbasi’s Cannes premiere that explores Donald Trump’s formative relationship with fixer Roy Cohn, will open in the US on October 11 through Briarcliff Entertainment prior to the November presidential election, it is understood.
Reports that Briarcliff, which was first linked to the film in June, is moving ahead with the release and planning an awards push came amid speculation on Friday that the controversial film might be a surprise screening at Telluride Film Festival, which kicks off today and runs through September 2.
Briarcliff and Telluride had not replied to inquiries at time of writing. The Apprentice is scheduled to open in France through Metropolitan on October 9 and in the UK through Studiocanal on October 18.
That a US release is going ahead suggests there has been some kind of resolution with Dan Snyder, the Trump donor and billionaire former owner of the Washington Commanders American Football team who owns a stake in Kinematics, the film’s financier.
Snyder was said to be angered by the tone of the film and reportedly tried to block its release. Sebastian Stan as Trump and Jeremy Strong as Cohn earned critical acclaim for their performances. The Apprentice depicts Trump’s growing friendship in the 1970s and 1980s with Cohn, a highly connected attorney and political player who takes the aspiring real estate mogul under his wing. Cohn died of AIDS In 1986.
In one scene in the film, Trump is seen raping Ivana, his first wife, played by Maria Bakalova. Ivana Trump initially referred to the 1989 incident as rape, and spoke about it the couple’s divorce a year later. Several years later she said she did not want her words to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense. She died in 2022.
In late May, shortly after the Cannes world premiere, lawyers for Trump sent a cease and desist letter to the filmmakers. The filmmakers shot back and said The Apprentice was “a fair and balanced portrait” of the former president, who is bidding to return to the White House in the November 5 presidential election.
While Telluride attendees await the identity of the Colorado festival’s surprise screening, Briarcliff head Tom Ortenberg will be planning the release.
He has experience with controversial films and awards season success, having handled Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 and Crash at Lionsgate, and Spotlight at Open Road. Fahrenheit 9/11 was a box office smash and the last two won the best picture Oscar.
