Current:Home > InvestRekubit Exchange:Donald Trump biopic releases first clip from controversial 'The Apprentice' film -Blueprint Money Mastery
Rekubit Exchange:Donald Trump biopic releases first clip from controversial 'The Apprentice' film
TradeEdge View
Date:2025-04-07 20:40:21
The Rekubit Exchangeupcoming film "The Apprentice" is giving viewers a first look at Marvel star Sebastian Stan as a young Donald Trump.
On Tuesday, Briarcliff Entertainment shared a scene from the Ali Abbasi-directed biopic, which was met earlier this year by the threat of legal action from Trump's presidential campaign.
In the clip, "Succession" star Jeremy Strong plays Trump's infamous mentor – the late U.S. prosecutor Roy Cohn, who was disbarred right before his death at 59 in 1986 – who coaches the young businessman as he takes a phone interview with a reporter while the two men ride in the back of a car.
"I intend to acquire the Commodore, and I'm planning on making it the best and the finest building in the city, maybe the country — in the world, Judy, in the world," Stan says as Strong wordlessly encourages him to talk up his business deal more.
"It's going to be the finest building in the world. It's going to be a spectacular hotel, absolutely spectacular, first-class," Stan continues.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
"Listen, it's your life. You've got a ways to go, but you're learning," Strong says after promising the reporter to continue the interview in person.
The movie, which stars Maria Bakalova as Trump's first wife Ivana Trump, releases Oct. 11. It premiered internationally at the Cannes Film Festival in May before securing a North American premiere at Telluride Film Festival this past weekend and sports a 73% "fresh" rating based on 49 reviews accumulated by Rotten Tomatoes.
'The Apprentice' details 'obstacles' in releasing a film about Donald Trump
The film also launched a "Release The Apprentice" Kickstarter fundraiser, which is seeking $100,000 to support the movie's legal and campaign fees as well as promotional costs.
"The obstacles we have faced releasing this movie are well documented. Our distribution was blocked. We were hit with a cease and desist from Trump's lawyers. Major media companies were afraid to show you this movie," the fundraiser's description reads, in part. "Releasing this movie has become a DAVID and GOLIATH struggle, but with your support, you can help #ReleaseTheApprentice."
"The Apprentice" is described as "a candid portrayal of Donald Trump's rise to power" in the 1970s and '80s that "provides an unfiltered look at Trump's complicated and often unseemly journey."
"These legal threats have caused major media companies to shy away from distributing the film, fearing potential retribution if Trump is re-elected," the film's promoters state. "Despite this, the filmmakers are pursuing a grassroots, independent approach to distribution."
'Hold On, I'm Comin' no more:Trump's campaign prohibited from using Isaac Hayes song
Trump campaign calls 'The Apprentice' 'malicious defamation'
Following the Cannes premiere, a Trump campaign spokesman declared their intention to sue the filmmakers in a statement issued to multiple outlets.
"We will be filing a lawsuit to address the blatantly false assertions from these pretend filmmakers," Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, told Variety and Deadline. "This garbage is pure fiction which sensationalizes lies that have been long debunked."
Cheung added that the movie is "pure malicious defamation" and "should not see the light of day."
The film includes a scene where Trump rapes Ivana Trump, according to The Washington Post and The New York Times.
Ivana Trump once accused Donald Trump of rape during a divorce deposition but later walked her comments back.
According to The Daily Beast, she said in a statement included in the 1993 book "Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump" that in 1989, "Mr. Trump and I had marital relations in which he behaved very differently toward me than he had during our marriage. As a woman, I felt violated, as the love and tenderness, which he normally exhibited towards me, was absent. I referred to this as a 'rape,' but I do not want my words to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense."
"Everybody talks about (Trump) suing a lot of people," director Ali Abbasi said in response to the Trump campaign's legal threat. "They don't talk about his success rate, though."
Abbasi went on to say he understands why the former president might assume the movie is "demeaning" and a "conspiracy" but that he should watch it for himself.
Contributing: Brendan Morrow
veryGood! (38)
Related
- Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
- Wagon rolls over at Wisconsin apple orchard injuring about 25 children and adults
- Commitment to build practice facility helped Portland secure 15th WNBA franchise
- ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski retires from journalism, joins St. Bonaventure basketball
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- The Real Reason Joan Vassos Gave Her First Impression Rose to This Golden Bachelorette Contestant
- Testimony begins in trial for ex-sergeant charged in killing of Virginia shoplifting suspect
- Demolition to begin on long-troubled St. Louis jail
- Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
- Christina Ricci Accuses Her Dad of Being Failed Cult Leader
Ranking
- Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
- Almost 2,000 pounds of wiener products recalled for mislabeling and undeclared allergens
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword, It Started With the Wine
- 60-year-old woman receives third-degree burns while walking off-trail at Yellowstone
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- Your Ultimate Acne Guide: Treat Pimples, Blackheads, Bad Breakouts, and More
- A body is found near the site of the deadly interstate shooting in Kentucky
- 'As fragile as a child': South Carolina death row inmate's letters show haunted man
Recommendation
McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
Hayden Panettiere breaks silence on younger brother's death: 'I lost half my soul'
Mission specialist for Titan sub owner to testify before Coast Guard
‘Agatha All Along’ sets Kathryn Hahn’s beguiling witch on a new quest — with a catchy new song
Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
Man says he lied when he testified against inmate who is set to be executed
Found: The Best Free People Deals Under $50, Featuring Savings Up to 92% Off & Styles Starting at Just $6
36 Unique Hostess Gifts Under $25 To Make You the Favorite Guest as Low $4.99