The Apprentice movie, about Donald Trump in the 1980s, has finally secured a US release – but a Kickstarter campaign is trying to extend it.
It’s been a pretty painful road for the producers of the upcoming take on Donald Trump’s rise to power, a film titled The Apprentice, starring Sebastian Stan as the entrepreneur that would one day become America’s president.
The film premiered at Cannes and immediately came under attack from Donald Trump’s team, with legal action being threatened and one of the key investors in the movie withdrawing their support.
It’s no surprise that Trump wouldn’t want voting Americans to see the film before the US elections: as we’ve previously covered, according to reports, there’s reportedly ‘a nonconsensual sex scene, the taking of numerous pills, insecurity over a bald spot and things that do not paint Donald Trump in a flattering light.’
The film finally has an October release date set for the US and producer Dan Bekerman has been speaking to Deadline about the difficult time the production team has faced in getting the film to the screen. He said that “certainly during Cannes, having Donald Trump’s campaign threaten us directly after our screening, not only threaten us, but threaten any distributor who dared to try to release the movie, that created a very unique circumstance for everyone involved, and we certainly have had our struggles with that. But we’ve really believed in the integrity of the movie on every level: as a work of art, as a responsible movie.”
The producers want as many Americans as possible to see The Apprentice before election night and as such, have elected to take a rather unusual step. Despite finally securing American distribution, the film’s producers have launched a Kickstarter to try and secure an extra $100,000 to keep the films on as many screens as possible for as long as possible. For just $3,500 you too can sport an onscreen toupee prop worn by star Sebastian Stan and rock an 80s-era Trump look.
The Kickstarter reads “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. Releasing this movie has become a DAVID and GOLIATH struggle, but with your support, you can help #ReleaseTheApprentice.”
To some extent, the timing of the film’s release mean it could well be used as a political football. Will it have an impact on the upcoming election? Its producers believe so and if it hits its Kickstarter goal then it will be pretty clear that there’s plenty of folks out there that believe in it as well.
The film arrives here in the UK on October 18th.
