There's probably an apolitical manner in which a Donald Trump biopic could be handled. Probably.
But "The Apprentice," an upcoming movie that will focus on Trump's nascent years in the '70s and '80s, probably won't be that apolitical/objective look at the 45th President of the United States that moviegoers would truly want.
(Love him or hate him, Donald Trump is a fascinating man with a complicated past that would be rife for a "Cabrini"-style dramatized biopic. The man's a New York socialite-turned-WWE Hall of Famer-turned-POTUS, for crying out loud!)
The reason "The Apprentice" may not be for Trump fans, however, stems from everything about how the movie has been pitched, promoted and described.
Take the first image released for the movie so far, showing Marvel star Sebastian Stan -- perhaps best known for portraying The Winter Soldier in the MCU -- as Trump:
Donald Trump Movie 'The Apprentice' to Premiere at Cannes: First Look and What We Know https://t.co/Iw2EMwMaFt
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) April 11, 2024
The inaugural image from "The Apprentice" shows Stan as a young Trump and actor Jeremy Strong as former New York prosecutor Roy Cohn.
"The Apprentice," while also the name of Trump's reality television series, is alluding to the mentorship role that Cohn purportedly held with Trump decades ago.
And this is where some of that slanted coverage begins to rear its ugly head.
The Hollywood Reporter provided the film's official logline, and see if you notice any partiality in the language: "The Apprentice is a dive into the underbelly of the American empire. It charts a young Donald Trump’s ascent to power through a Faustian deal with the influential right-wing lawyer and political fixer Roy Cohn."
Nothing screams "fair look" like "Faustian," eh?
THR adds: "The film is described as a mentor-protégé narrative that documents the start of an American dynasty and tackles themes including power, corruption and deception. It delves into the relationship between Trump and Roy Cohn, the New York City prosecutor oft-remembered for working with Sen. Joseph McCarthy during the Second Red Scare."
"The Apprentice," which comes from Iranian-Danish filmmaker Ali Abbasi, very much seems like a film in tone with the 1997 horror-thriller movie "The Devil's Advocate."
In "The Devil's Advocate," a young lawyer (portrayed by Keanu Reeves) eschews family, friends and loved ones by making a deal with the literal devil (portrayed by Al Pacino) to win every court case he's involved with.
Obviously, "The Apprentice" won't be dealing with such macabre elements, but the similar themes are hard not to notice.
Trump, the rising real estate mogul, ultimately succumbs to the siren call of success and makes a deal with a shady figure to secure continued success... not unlike that lawyer portrayed by Reeves in 1997. Just look at the hesitant face that Stan has on as Trump in the above image. It's clear there's an internal moral battle that Abbasi will clearly have Trump lose.
"The Apprentice" is slated to release in theaters this year, though no official date has been given. The film will make its debut at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in France.
