The Apprentice (2024 film)

The Apprentice is a 2024 independent biographical drama film. The plot examines Donald Trump making a career as a real estate businessman in New York City in the 1970s and 1980s, highlighting his relationship with attorney Roy Cohn. Directed by Ali Abbasi, written by Gabriel Sherman, and co-distributed by James Shani's Rich Sprit in partnership with Briarcliff Entertainment, the film stars Sebastian Stan as Trump, Jeremy Strong as Cohn, Martin Donovan as Trump's father Fred, and Maria Bakalova as Trump's first wife, Ivana.

An international co-production between Canada, Denmark, Ireland, and the United States, the biopic was announced in May 2018, but languished until Abbasi, Stan, and Strong joined in 2023. It premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2024, and impressed the critics, sparking an eight-minute standing ovation at Cannes, and "feverish media attention". However, the film struggled to find American distribution due to its subject matter and an attempt by Trump's legal team to block its release. Briarcliff eventually bought the rights, and theatrically released it on October 11, 2024. The film grossed $17 million on a $16 million budget.

The film received praise from critics for its acting, directing, and editing; Trump, meanwhile, described it as a "defamatory, politically disgusting hatchet job" intended to harm his ultimately successful 2024 presidential campaign. For their performances, Stan and Strong each received wide acclaim and recognition, including respective nominations for Lead Actor and Supporting Actor at the 97th Academy Awards.