A new feature film slated to hit theaters on October 11, just weeks before the national election, will feature Sebastian Stan playing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during his early rise to power in the late 20th century. The Apprentice also features Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn; in a recently released clip, Strong can be seen as Cohn mentoring a young Donald Trump during a phone call.
The movie was recently featured during the Cannes Film Festival and reportedly received an extended standing applause. It’s directed by Ali Abbasi, he’s known for his activism and use of film as a medium for the message.
The film is considered a dark comedy which paints Trump as “sleazy and callous,” according to the establishment press. The synopsis highlights Cohn’s early influence on Trump, and suggests a young Trump was “under the spell of Roy Cohn” due to his ambition to make a name for himself.
It was written by journalist Gabriel Sherman. Sherman published a 2014 bestseller which profiled late Fox News boss Roger Ailes. In other words, Trump’s critics are largely responsible for the content, production, and promotion of the film.
Some commenters seemed excited and upbeat about the film, while conservatives were quick to label the movie a Hollywood-generated hit piece, noting the conspicuous timing.
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said that they’ll be filing a lawsuit against the filmmakers to counter “false-claims” presented as historical fact. He called the movie “sensationalized fiction” and suggested the content was based on disproven lies. He also suggested that the feature film was “a form of election interference” and recalled Trump being generally disliked by major Hollywood celebrities and California Democrats. He also called the content “malicious disinformation.”
Abbasi introduced the film claiming it’s “not a hit piece” and called it “a mirror”
Strong called the film “a Frankenstein movie” and suggested it portrayed the origins of the man currently running for Republican office. He did not explain why there’s no parallel film demonstrating Kamala Harris’ controversial rise to power.
