The Apprentice, based on Donald Trump, to be released this October

The Apprentice, an upcoming film by Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi based on the life of former US president Donald Trump, will be released on October 11. The next US presidential election will be held on November 5, and Trump is the candidate from the Republican Party. The film, written by Gabriel Sherman, stars Sebastian Stan as Trump in the 1980s.

The film has been acquired by Briarcliff Entertainment and will have a brief festival run before release along with an awards campaign. The Apprentice also stars Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn, who was Trump's mentor, and Maria Bakalova as Trump's ex-wife Ivana. 

The Apprentice premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and was met with mixed reviews. Notably, the film created a stir for having shown sexual assault by Trump towards Ivana. A letter was sent by Trump’s legal team to the film makers, with a statement describing it as “malicious defamation.”