Donald Trump’s lawyers have sent a cease and desist letter to the filmmakers behind The Apprentice, in an attempt to block its sale and release in the United States. The team behind the film is wary of pursuing a distribution deal, according to two people who read the letter. The Apprentice, which deals with Trump’s early years as a real estate developer and his relationship with Roy Cohn, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this week.
“The film is a fair and balanced portrait of the former president,” the film’s producers said in a statement regarding the cease and desist letter. “We want everyone to see it and then decide.”
The film, which was produced independently, stars Sebastian Stan as Trump and Jeremy Strong as Cohn. It presents a damning portrait of the former president as an ethically compromising farmer who clamped down on contractors and cut deals with the mob to complete his buildings. It includes other controversial details, including a scene in which Trump rapes his first wife, Ivana, and depicts him taking amphetamines to lose weight, as well as undergoing liposuction and plastic surgery.
Trump’s camp responded with a scathing letter, threatening legal action. “This ‘movie’ is absolutely malicious slander, should not see the light of day, and does not even deserve a place in the direct-to-DVD section of the bargain bin at a soon-to-be-shuttered discount movie store,” Stephen Cheung, Trump campaign communications director, said in a statement. “Belongs to a dumpster fire.”
When the Trump campaign was contacted for comment on the letter, it referred to its previous statement regarding the film.
“The Apprentice” is directed by Ali Abbasi, the Iranian-Danish director behind “Holy Spider” and “Border,” and features a screenplay by Gabriel Sherman, a journalist who has covered the Trump administration.
At a press conference in Cannes for The Apprentice, Abbasi responded to Trump’s legal threats. “Everyone talks about him suing a lot of people, but they don’t talk about his success rate, you know?” He said. He also offered to show the film to Trump, saying: “I don’t necessarily think this is a movie he won’t like.”
