Is it that surprising that nobody wants to even touch Ali Abassi’s “The Apprentice”? Studios and streamers alike are passing on the film as if it’s a landmine waiting to detonate. Maybe it is.
What did you expect? If the polarized reaction of yesterday’s Trump verdict is any indication, not to mention a cease-and-desist letter having been sent by the former President to ‘Apprentice’ producers, there is the possibility that audiences won’t get to see this film in 2024.
Puck’s Matt Belloni is reporting that the big four streamers (Netflix, Amazon, Disney+ and Apple) have all passed on the film. So have Searchlight, Sony Pictures Classics, Focus, A24, HBO and Lionsgate. They’re all a firm NO. Also, forget about Warner Bros, Paramount and Universal.
This doesn’t give ‘Apprentice’ producers much of an option. Neon wasn’t mentioned in Belloni’s writeup, but I doubt they’d want to touch this one as well, especially coming off a Palme d’Or win for “Anora.”
So, what are the options left? Vertical, Ketchup, Mubi, Utopia, Quiver, Roadside Attractions, Magnolia, or even Samuel Goldwyn. These aren’t companies who would likely buy and cover the $20 million cost it took to produce “The Apprentice.”
According to Variety, some U.S. distributors passed on “The Apprentice” because it “humanizes Trump too much.” Another buyer stayed on the sidelines because releasing the movie “will require inordinate legal resources”. But even those who are sitting out believe that Strong has a good shot at finding awards season traction for his performance.
Honestly speaking, they should have just held this one off until next year, after the election, instead of rushing a not-so-final cut into Cannes competition. The film was decently received on the Croisette and currently has a 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, with some believing that Jeremy Strong is an Oscar contender for his supporting turn as Roy Cohn.
At Cannes, I asked “who would actually want to go see this film?” Is there an audience for “The Apprentice”? Sure, there will be some curiosity seekers, but being inundated with 24/7 wall-to-wall news coverage of Trump, every day and all day, these last 8 years has numbed people to no ends. The last thing audiences want is to pay $20 to watch more of that.