The Apprentice premiers successfully at Telluride amid legal threats from Donald Trump

The Apprentice, the film based on Donald Trump's life, had a successful screening at the 2024 Telluride Film Festival, in spite of legal threats from the former US president's team. There was a concerted effort from the Trump camp to shut the Ali Abbasi directorial down after its Cannes premiere this May. Trump's lawyers from the Dhillon Law Group even issued a notice that not only labelled the film as a "concoction of lies" that served as "foreign interference in America’s elections" but also demanded that the biopic stop all marketing and distribution efforts.

However, as The Apprentice is set for its theatrical release in October, it seems that Trump’s camp has retreated, in what is considered a stark departure from their aggressive approach. According to sources, they are likely expecting the controversy to disappear, although there is still the prospect of legal action from them.

The film stars Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong as Donald Trump and his mentor Roy Marcus Cohn, respectively. At the Telluride Film Festival, director Abbasi stated that it is no "political hit piece."