NEW YORK — Hard as it may be to believe, there aren’t a lot of Hollywood agents clamoring for their star clients to take the role of one of the most polarizing political figures of the 21st century.
Maria Bakalova and Sebastian Stan in a scene from the film "The Apprentice."
Sebastian Stan, though, was committed to “The Apprentice.” More than anything, he believed in its director, the Iranian Danish filmmaker Ali Abbasi. And, even though it made him nervous — or maybe because it made it him nervous — he wanted to do it. He wanted to play Donald Trump.
“There wasn’t a lot of competition,” Stan says, chuckling.
“It was one of those things I thought: If this isn’t going to happen, it’s not going to happen because of me,” Stan says. “It’s not going to not happen because I’m scared.”
By a landslide, “The Apprentice” is the most controversial movie of the fall. It stars Stan as a young Trump playing apprentice to the attorney Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong) while trying to make a name for himself in 1980s New York real estate. Already, “The Apprentice” has had one of the most tortured paths to movie theaters of any 2024 release.
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After its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, all the major studios and top specialty labels passed on making an offer. One potential issue was a cease and desist letter from Trump’s legal team. Another was that one of the movie’s investors — Dan Snyder, the former owner of the Washington Commanders and a Trump supporter — wanted to exit the movie.
Jeremy Strong, left, and Sebastian Stan in a scene from "The Apprentice."
Only last week, Briarcliff Entertainment announced that it will open “The Apprentice” on Oct. 11, just weeks before Election Day. And it’s still fighting for more screens. On Tuesday, the filmmakers took the unusual step of launching a Kickstarter crowdsourcing campaign to raise money for its release.
“This project has been pretty crazy, from beginning to the end,” Abbasi says. “It’s still not completely there. It’s going to get more crazy, maybe.”
Trump's reelection campaign vigorously opposed the movie. After its Cannes debut, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung called the film “pure fiction.” On Friday, after its release date was confirmed, Cheung declared it “election interference by Hollywood elites.”
What role, if any, “The Apprentice” might play in the lead-up to Nov. 5 will be one of the most notable storylines at the movies this fall. While many Hollywood stars are vocal supporters of Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, it’s far rarer that plainly political films squeak through today’s sequel- and superhero-dominated movie industry. That makes for a unique election-year test case: Will liberals want to see a film about Trump? Will conservatives turn out for a film Trump opposes?
Abbasi, whose previous film “Holy Spider” turned a questioning eye on Iranian society through the story of a serial killer targeting women, says he’s not trying to tell anyone how to vote.
Filled with more one-liners than a volume of Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations, it’s like a CliffNotes look at an important time in American history.
“Do I want to show you some stuff about character? Yes, I would very much love that and I think we have some great stuff to show,” says Abbasi. “What you do with that knowledge is up to you. But that knowledge might come in handy if you want to go and vote.”
To Abbasi, grappling with contemporary politics is his responsibility as a filmmaker. As ubiquitous as Trump is, Abbasi argues there have been paltry attempts to really understand the former president.
“With Donald and Ivana, they’ve never really been treated as human beings,” Abbasi says. “They’re either treated badly or extremely good — it’s like this mythological thing. The only way if you want to break that myth is to deconstruct it. I think a humanistic view is the best way you can deconstruct that myth.”
“For me, the best comp for him is Barry Lyndon,” Abbasi adds, referencing the Stanley Kubrick film of the same name. “When you think about Barry Lyndon, you don’t think about that guy as being a bad guy or a good guy. He has this ambivalence and this uncanny ability to navigate. He wants to be somebody. He doesn’t really know what or why. He just sort of wants to ascend.”
“The Apprentice” found a mixed reception from critics at Cannes, though Stan and Strong were widely praised. The movie notably includes a scene in which Trump, played by Stan, rapes Ivana (played by Maria Bakalova). In Ivana Trump’s 1990 divorce deposition, she stated that Trump raped her. Trump denied the allegation and Ivana Trump later said she didn’t mean it literally, but rather that she had felt violated.
But, Abbasi maintains, “The Apprentice” is not a hit job. He insisted that Trump, himself, might like the movie. At the same time, some critics have questioned whether “The Apprentice” shows too much empathy to Trump and Cohn, who was Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s chief counsel during the 1954 communist hearings.
“I don’t think any of us are above it. I don’t think any of us are born perfect people or we’re not morally compromised,” says Stan. “It’s really, really much muddier and trickier than that, life is. I think the only way we can learn is through empathy. I think we have to protect empathy and continue to nourish it. And I think one way of nourishing empathy is showing what its exact opposite can be.”
The 33 most anticipated movies of the fall
‘My Old Ass’
A psychedelic trip makes for an unusual meeting in the latest from director Megan Park (“The Fallout”). After sipping some mushroom-infused tea, 18-year-old Elliott (Maisy Stella) finds herself joined by her future self, played by Aubrey Plaza, on a camping trip on the lakes of Muskoka, outside Toronto. (Sept. 13, in theaters)
‘Will & Harper’
When former “Saturday Night Live” writer Harper Steele came out as trans, she sent an email to friends and family. An old friend and “SNL” colleague, Will Ferrell, responded with the suggestion that they travel the country together. The result is this tender and contemplative documentary, by “Barb and Star Go to Del Mar” director Josh Greenbaum, about their 16-day road trip. (Sept. 13; on Netflix Sept. 27)
‘Speak No Evil’
Christian Tafdrup’s 2022 Danish horror film was potent enough that it led to this Blumhouse remake just two years later. James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis and Aisling Franciosi star in a thriller about how much can go wrong on a idyllic countryside vacation. (Sept. 13, in theaters)
‘A Different Man'
Sebastian Stan stars as Edward, an actor with neurofibromatosis who, after experimental surgery, is cured of his facial disfigurement. But the changes for Edward, who lives next to a friendly playwright (Renate Reinsve of “The Worst Person in the World”), turn out to be a mixed blessing. With a compelling co-starring turn by actor Adam Pearson, who has neurofibromatosis. (Sept. 20, in theaters)
‘His Three Daughters’
Writer-director Azazel Jacobs’ latest stars Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne and Elizabeth Olsen as sisters who gather in the New York apartment of their dying father. A highlight of the season, “His Three Daughters” is one of the most memorable tales of siblinghood, and of a death in the family, in recent memory. (Sept. 20 on Netflix)
'The Substance'
A hit out of the Cannes Film Festival, Coralie Fargeat’s body-horror parable stars Demi Moore as a TV star who’s deemed too old by male producers. A mysterious service, though, offers her the ability to change into a younger twin (Margaret Qualley) — so long as she doesn’t remain so for too long. “The Substance” seems sure to go down as a classic satire of Hollywood ageism and youth obsession. (Sept. 20, in theaters)
‘Wolfs’
Brad Pitt and George Clooney play rival fixers who discover they’ve been hired for the same job in Jon Watts’ comic caper. Presumably more charming actors weren’t available, so Watts had to suffice with Clooney and Pitt. (Sept. 20, in theaters; Apple TV+ on Sept. 27)
'Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story'
Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui’s documentary seeks to capture the full arc of Reeve’s life, from the massive stardom that followed 1978’s “Superman” to his resiliency following an accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down in 1995. (Sept. 21, in theaters)
'Megalopolis'
Francis Ford Coppola’s first film in 13 years stars Adam Driver as Caesar, a visionary with dreams of a utopian New York. Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, Laurence Fishburne and Shia LeBeouf co-star in this wildly ambitious epic that has already earned a wide spectrum of reaction. (Sept. 27, in theaters)
'Joker: Folie à Deux'
Five years after their rabble-rousing Oscar nominated DC Comics blockbuster, director Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix are back for more antihero fun. This time, it’s a musical, and Lady Gaga is playing Harley Quinn. (Oct. 4, in theaters)
'The Outrun'
Saoirse Ronan stars in Nora Fingscheidt’s adaptation of Amy Liptrot’s memoir of addiction. Ronan plays a young woman just out of rehab and returning home to the Orkney Islands in Scotland. (Oct. 4, in theaters)
‘Piece by Piece’
What’s cooler than a documentary about your life? What about a documentary made with Lego? In this film, directed by Morgan Neville (“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”), Pharrell Williams tells his life story brick by brick. (Oct. 11, in theaters)
‘Saturday Night’
While all eyes will be on “Saturday Night Live” on the small screen this fall, the sketch comedy show will also have an origin story in theaters. Director Jason Reitman (“Juno,” “Up in the Air”) directs this mid-’70s dramatization of the chaotic infancy of the NBC institution, with Gabriel LaBelle as creator Lorne Michaels. (Oct. 11, in theaters)
‘Anora’
Sean Baker (“The Florida Project,” “Red Rocket”) has long been one of most vital American independent directors. But he takes a step further with “Anora,” the Palme d’Or winner at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. It stars Mikey Madison as a Brooklyn sex worker whose Vegas marriage to the son of a Russian oligarch prompts a farcical effort by his family’s henchmen to have it annulled. (Oct. 18, in theaters)
‘Nickel Boys’
RaMell Ross’ feature directorial debut, selected as the opening night film at the New York Film Festival, adapts Colson Whitehead’s 2019 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about two Black teens (Ethan Harisse, Brandon Wilson) who become wards of juvenile reform school in 1960s Florida. Ross previously directed the Oscar-nominated documentary “Hale County This Morning, This Evening.” (Oct. 25, in theaters)
'Venom: The Last Dance'
Tom Hardy is back as the most volatile split-personality superhuman: Eddie Brock and his symbiote Venom — arguably the most captivating double act in comic book movies. In this, the third in the series following 2018’s “Venom” and 2021’s “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” both are on the run. (Oct. 25, in theaters)
'Dahomey'
Writer-director Mati Diop (“Atlantics”) creates testimonials for a few dozen African artworks taken from the West African kingdom of Dahomey during France’s colonial rule in this, the winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Diop dramatizes the artworks’ stories through what she’s called “magical documentary.” (Oct. 25, theaters)
'Memoir of a Snail'
Adam Elliot’s stop-motion drama, some 10 years in the making, follows the life of Grace Puddle (voiced by Sarah Snook), who begins collecting snails after her mother’s death. After her father dies, too, she and her twin brother (Kodi Smit-McPhee) are separated. (Oct. 25, theaters)
'Conclave'
A new Pope is needed. Enter Ralph Fiennes. In director Edward Berger’s follow-up to “All Quiet on the Western Front,” Fiennes stars as Cardinal Lawrence, one of the Vatican figures who gather for a conclave to choose a new pontiff. When Lawrence uncovers a secret that others would rather stay hidden, the conclave teeters toward going up in smoke. (Nov. 1, theaters)
'Emilia Pérez'
It’s not every day we get a musical about a Mexican drug lord who transitions into a woman. Even more surprising is that French director Jacques Audiard pulls it off. Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón and Selena Gomez star in one of the more audacious movies of the year. (Nov. 1 in theaters; on Netflix Nov. 13th)
‘Here’
Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks have a long and fruitful history together dating back to “Forrest Gump” and “Cast Away.” Less good was 2022’s “Pinocchio,” so hopefully the pair are back on track in “Here.” Appearing to be filmed in one take, Zemeckis’ latest chronicles a single spot of land through history. After a home is built on it, Hanks and Robin Wright move in and raise a family. (Nov. 1, in theaters)
‘Bird’
British filmmaker Andrea Arnold has dabbled in TV and documentary in recent years, which makes “Bird” her first film since 2016’s “American Honey.” Here, she returns to a working-class English backdrop for a gritty story laced with fable. A 12-year-old girl (Nykia Adams) who lives with her father (Barry Keoghan) is visited by a peculiar stranger (Franz Rogowski). (Nov. 8, in theaters)
‘Heretic’
The distance Hugh Grant has traveled from rom-com protagonist seems likely to reach a new peak in this A24 horror thriller from “A Quiet Place” co-writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East play a pair of proselytizing Mormon missionaries who knock on the wrong door. (Nov. 15, in theaters)
'All We Imagine as Light'
Payal Kapadia’s ode to female friendship, a prize-winner at Cannes, is about two Mumbai nurses (Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha) striving for love and happiness while working and commuting long hours in the Indian metropolis. (Nov. 15, in theaters)
'Gladiator II'
Twenty-four years after “Gladiator,” Ridley Scott is back with more swords, sandals and … a rhino. Yes, that horned mammal makes its way into the Colosseum this time, but it’s far from the only new addition. Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal star in this sequel, set several decades following the events of the original movie. (Nov. 22, in theaters)
'Wicked'
Before “Wicked” was a Broadway smash, it was a 1995 book and nearly a movie. The big-screen was, perhaps, always the most fitting medium for a “Wizard of the Oz” riff. In this Jon M. Chu-directed film, Cynthia Erivo plays the woman who’ll become the Wicked Witch of the West, while Ariana Grande plays Glinda. This “Wicked” will be split in two, with part two arriving in late 2025. (Nov. 22, in theaters)
‘The Piano Lesson’
Washington has set himself the task of bringing August Wilson's plays to the big screen. In this adaptation of Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winner, he produces while son Malcolm Washington directs, and son John David Washington stars. Led by a powerhouse performance by Danielle Deadwyler, “The Piano Lesson” depicts a Pittsburgh family in 1936 reckoning with a family heirloom, a piano, which doubles as a metaphor for the legacy of slavery. (Nov. 22, on Netflix)
‘Moana 2’
A little “Moana” confusion would be understandable. There's a separate live-action “Moana” in development and this film was originally planned as a series. But “Moana 2” ultimately, came together as a big-screen sequel to the 2016 original. Lin-Manuel Miranda isn't returning on the music front, but most everyone else is, including voice actors Auliʻi Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson. The film, set about three years after the original, finds Moana heading back on an ocean adventure, this time with her sister (voiced by Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda) aboard, as well as several others. (Nov. 27, in theaters)
‘The Wild Robot’
This DreamWorks Animation release, adapted from Peter Brown’s popular book series, follows a robot (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o) who crash lands in a forested wildness where it, seeking a task, raises a runt goose (Kit Connor) until it's able to fly. (Sept. 27, in theaters)
'The Apprentice'
Opening just weeks before the U.S. election is Ali Abbasi’s portrait of a young Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) under the tutelage of Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong). The film, which the Trump reelection campaign has called “pure malicious defamation,” is made with some of the ’80s aesthetics of its setting. (Oct. 11, in theaters)
‘We Live in Time’
Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield star in this human-scaled drama, directed by John Crowley (“Brooklyn,” “The Goldfinch”) about a relationship charted not always chronologically, through romance, sickness and parenthood. Tissues are recommended. (Oct. 11, in theaters)
‘Blitz’
Director Steve McQueen (“12 Years a Slave”) returns to World War II for this drama set in a London under siege from Nazi bombs. Saoirse Ronan plays a single mother trying to protect her young son (Elliott Heffernan). (Nov. 1, theaters)
'A Real Pain'
Jesse Eisenberg wrote, directed and stars in this buddy dramedy about two cousins (the other is played by Kieran Culkin) who travel to Poland to honor their grandmother. The two are near opposites played to type: Eisenberg is a sensitive neurotic, Culkin a charismatic idler. Together, they create a funny, poignant two-hander. (Nov. 1, in theaters)
