Controversial Donald Trump biopic struggles to find buyer after Cannes

A controversial biopic about Donald Trump’s early years is struggling to find a US distribution or streaming deal.

The Apprentice, directed by Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi, earned rave reviews when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on 20 May.

Deadline described the film as a “smart, sharp and surprising origin story”, while The Times called it “the Donald Trump movie that you never knew you needed: full of compassionate feeling yet ruthless in analysis”.

The film also boasts a high-profile cast that includes Sebastian Stan as the young Trump and Succession’s Jeremy Strong as his mentor, the lawyer and political fixer Roy Cohn. Stan is best known for playing the Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

However, despite critical acclaim and a stellar group of actors, Variety reports that none of the major studios or streaming services such as Netflix have so far bid on the film, and that “even some of the most daring indie distributors like Neon, which released Abbasi’s Border, aren’t offering a deal yet”.

Behind the scenes, the producers of The Apprentice reportedly believe that studios and distributors have been wary about getting involved with the film because they fear the repercussions should Trump be reelected as president this November.

The biopic reportedly contains a number of unflattering scenes involving Trump, including him using drugs and getting cosmetic surgery.

Most controversially, the film shows Trump raping his first wife Ivana. In a 1989 divorce deposition, Ivana accused Trump of raping her, but she later disavowed the allegation.

The sale of the film is also complicated by the fact that one of its investors is billionaire Dan Snyder, former owner of NFL team the Washington Commanders,