Taglines: An American horror story.
The Apprentice movie storyline. 1970s New York: determined to emerge from his powerful father’s shadow and make a name for himself in Manhattan real estate, aspiring mogul Donald J. Trump is in the earliest days of his career when he encounters the man who will become one of the most important figures in his life: political fixer Roy Cohn.
Seeing promise in young Donald, the influential attorney–who secured espionage convictions against Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and investigated suspected Communists alongside Senator Joseph McCarthy–teaches his new acolyte how to amass wealth and power through deception, intimidation, and media manipulation. The rest is history.
The Apprentice is a 2024 biographical drama film directed by Ali Abbasi and written by Gabriel Sherman. Starring Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump, the film examines Trump’s career as a real estate businessman in New York in the 1970s and 1980s. The film also stars Jeremy Strong, Maria Bakalova, and Martin Donovan.
The film was submitted at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, held from May 14 to 25, 2024. It was included in competition for the Palme d’Or in April 2024, alongside 18 other films. The Apprentice premiered on May 20, 2024, at the festival. Prior to this, StudioCanal acquired UK and Irish distribution rights to the film. It also screened at the 51st Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2024.
In June 2024, after much difficulty in finding a domestic distributor over concerns regarding its content as well as an attempt by Trump’s legal team to block its release, Tom Ortenberg’s Briarcliff Entertainment was reported to be close to acquiring U.S. distribution rights for a fall 2024 release, although a deal could not immediately be confirmed; the deal was confirmed in August 2024, with the film was theatrical released on October 11, 2024. The first trailer for the film was released on September 10, 2024, coinciding with the second presidential debate between Trump and Kamala Harris.
The Apprentice (2024)
Directed by: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, Maria Bakalova, Martin Donovan, Ben Sullivan, Charlie Carrick, Mark Rendall, Joe Pingue, Jim Monaco, Bruce Beaton, Ian D. Clark, Valerie O’Connor
Screenplay by: Gabriel Sherman
Production Design by: Aleksandra Marinkovich
Cinematography by: Kasper Tuxen
Film Editing by: Olivier Bugge Coutté, Olivia Neergaard-Holm
Costume Design by: Laura Montgomery
Set Decoration by: Jaro Dick
Art Direction by: Rachel Dottermann, Martina Drdakova, Erika Lobko
Music by: Martin Dirkov
MPAA Rating: R for sexual content, some graphic nudity, language, sexual assault, and drug use.
Distributed by: Briarcliff Entertainment (United States)
Release Date: May 20, 2024 (Cannes), October 11, 2024 (United States)
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