Director of Trump Biopic ‘The Apprentice’ Expresses Frustration Over Lack of Distributor

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Ali Abbasi — the director of the Trump biopic The Apprentice — vented on social media Monday, expressing frustration over the movie’s lack of a distributor.

He added: “For some reason certain powerful people in your country don’t want you to see it!!!”

The movie also did not win any awards at Cannes.

The Apprentice drew significant media attention at this year’s festival, especially for a scene depicting Trump raping his first wife, Ivana. The movie also portrays Trump undergoing plastic surgery and liposuction.

Ivana Trump herself denied that her then-husband ever raped her.

Following the Cannes premiere, Trump’s campaign threatened to sue the filmmakers.

Lawyers for Trump also sent a cease-and-desist letter to director Ali Abbasi and screenwriter Gabriel Sherman, warning them against seeking a distribution deal.

The legal action has negatively affected the movie’s commercial prospects.

The four major streaming services — Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, and Apple — have all declined to distribute the film, as have specialty theatrical labels Searchlight, Sony Pictures Classics, Focus, A24, HBO, and Lionsgate, according to a report from Puck.

David Ng
David Ng
Senior reporter covering media, entertainment, and corporate America. Previously, David was with the Los Angeles Times for 12 years, providing comprehensive coverage of the entertainment industry, including investigative pieces on some of LA’s landmark cultural institutions.

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