A rollercoaster drama ripped from the headlines of 1970s New York, “The Apprentice” (2024) drops Marvel fan-favourite Sebastian Stan into the role of young Donald Trump, with “Succession” star Jeremy Strong embodying Roy Cohn’s cutthroat legal manoeuvring. Director Ali Abbasi orchestrates this $16 million indie sensation that had distributors running scared before finding its theatrical home.
The casting mirrors the film’s bold ambitions, with Stan bringing fresh intensity to the role of pre-media mogul Trump. The movie’s journey from script to screen reads like its own drama.
The money trail tells the story. Opening weekend: $1.6 million from theaters. Total domestic box office: more than $3.5 million. Premium VOD rescue arrived November 1 – $24.99 to own, $19.99 to rent on Apple TV, Prime Video, and Vudu. UK fans? Still waiting, with £19.99 pre-orders dangling.
Production drama intensified when former NFL Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder, backing Kinematics productions, got involved. Kinematics tried blocking U.S. release before selling their stake. However, company president Emanuel Nuñez stated: “All creative and business decisions involving ‘The Apprentice’ have ever been and continue to be solely made by Kinematics.”
The film’s narrative splits between two crucial periods: the 1970s, when young Trump learned Cohn’s methods, and the 1980s, when Trump ascended while Cohn faced an AIDS-driven decline. “It’s in the nature of politics that you sort of streamline things to get a certain effect,” Abbasi tells the LA Times. “And that is really not the project here. We are all interested in exploring the complexities.”
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Production authenticity comes straight from FBI files – yes, that racial discrimination lawsuit (1972-1974) happened. The New York Times confirms Trump’s $360 million NYC tax abatement deal. Legal depositions document Ivana Trump’s allegations, though she later stated: “I referred to this as a ‘rape,’ but I do not want my words to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense.”
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung fired back: “This garbage is pure fiction which sensationalizes lies that have been long debunked.” Legal threats followed, though no lawsuits materialized. Critics? An eight-minute standing ovation at Cannes. Rotten Tomatoes: over 80% fresh.
Supporting cast includes Maria Bakalova (Oscar-nominated for “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”) as Ivana Trump and Martin Donovan as Fred Trump. Strong’s Cohn delivers three rules that echo through Trump’s career: “Attack, attack, attack. Admit nothing, deny everything. Claim victory, and never admit defeat.”
International markets faced hurdles. Russia demanded censorship modifications. India’s Central Board of Film Certification wanted cuts – filmmakers refused. Global box office reached $13 million, according to producers.
Scene-specific authenticity ranges from documented (Dr. Steven Hoefflin’s alleged 1989 scalp surgery) to dramatic interpretation. But as Abbasi tells LA Times readers: “This is an experience of complexity. Also, for me as an outsider, this was my chance to look at the American system and the utter corruption that has been an institutionalized part of it, at least from my perspective.”
“The nature of politics is that you streamline things to get a certain effect,” Abbasi continues. “That is not the project here.” The film distinguishes between historical drama and character study while the real-world subject continues making headlines.
The film exists in an unprecedented moment, and its subject actively campaigns for president while the movie plays on Premium VOD.
