Drama is brewing behind the scenes of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, and the highly-anticipated movie focused on Donald Trump's early years, The Apprentice, is said to be the target of contention. Sources shared that billionaire Dan Snyder, who invested in the film, isn't happy about how the young Donald — played by actor Sebastian Stan — is portrayed, and takes issue with a particular "violent" rape scene that was in the earlier cuts of the movie, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Snyder is the ex-owner of the Washington Commanders who famously refused to change the NFL team's name from the Redskins. He's also a friend of Trump and donated over $1 million to his inaugural committee and Trump Victory in 2016. Snyder also gave $100k to Trump's 2020 presidential campaign and invested in the film because he was allegedly under the impression that it would paint the 45th president in a positive light.
Snyder was said to be unhappy when he saw the early cuts of The Apprentice film in February, and the friction has reportedly continued to build between the Snyder-backed company Kinematics and those in charge of the creative direction of the movie.
The Apprentice is set to cover Trump’s early years, being mentored by political fixer Roy Cohn, and his marriage to his first wife, Ivana.
Sources told Variety that when Snyder finally saw a cut of the film, he became enraged and the cease-and-desist letters went flying; however, Kinematics president Emanuel Nuñez insisted Trump's billionaire pal wasn't involved in the drama.
“All creative and business decisions involving ‘The Apprentice’ have always been and continue to be solely made by Kinematics. Mark and I run our company without the involvement of any other third parties," Nuñez said in response to the story.
But insiders doubled down, telling the news outlet that Snyder took issues with several aspects of the film and made sure to voice what should — and shouldn't — make the final cut of The Apprentice, including a scene where Trump rapes Ivana (played by Maria Bakalova). One person said the scene was "violent" and "uncomfortable."
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FYI — In 1989, Ivanka accused Trump of raping her. She refuted the claims in 2015, claiming, "The story is totally without merit. Donald and I are the best of friends and together have raised three children that we love and are very proud of.”
Ivana, who shared three kids with Trump, died in 2022.
The Apprentice will be premiering at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday night. It's unclear if Snyder will attend the debut.
