The Apprentice First Look Shows Sebastian Stan as a Young Donald Trump

An early glimpse of Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice reveals Sebastian Stan portraying a young Donald Trump, with Jeremy Strong playing Roy Cohn, in an intriguing first-look image (via Vanity Fair). The upcoming film, which will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival next month, is described as an exploration of power and ambition set in a world of corruption and deceit. The film examines Trump’s efforts to build his real estate business in New York in the ’70s and ’80s, also digging into his relationship with infamous attorney Cohn. Alongside Stan and Strong, Maria Bakalova and Martin Donovan also star, portraying Trump’s first wife, Ivana, and his father, Fred. Check out the first look image below.

Cohn, a lawyer and prosecutor turned political fixer, mentored Trump during the early days of his career. Long before becoming one of history’s most divisive political figures, Trump became well-known for his real estate ventures. Trump later turned his business into the reality competition The Apprentice. Trump hosted and executive produced the series for 14 seasons until his 2015 firing. In 2016, Trump was elected as the 45th President of the United States, serving from 2017 to 2021. Despite numerous legal issues, he is expected to be the country’s Republican candidate for this year’s election.

The Apprentice is written by Gabriel Sherman (Alaska Daily). Abbasi also produces alongside Daniel Bekerman for Scythia Films, Jacob Jarek for Profile Pictures, Ruth Treacy and Julianne Forde for Tailored Films, and Louis Tisne for Film Institute. Amy Baer, Mark H. Rapaport, Emanuel Nunez, Josh Marks, Grant S. Johnson, Phil Hunt and Compton Ross, Thorsten Schumacher, Niamh Fagan, Gabe Sherman, Lee Broda, and James Shani executive produce.

Sebastian Stan is Fresh Off Critically Lauded Performance

Stan, who is best known for his portrayal of Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier in the MCU and Tommy Lee in Hulu’s Pam & Tommy, is fresh off leading A24’s Different Man. The thriller follows Stan’s Edward, an aspiring actor who undergoes a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance. But his new dream face quickly turns into a nightmare, as he loses out on the role he was born to play and becomes obsessed with reclaiming what was lost. The film has amassed critical praise, with some heralding Stan’s performance as the best of his career.

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Abbasi is a critically acclaimed director best known for his work on Shelley, Border, and Holy Spider. Strong most recently starred in Succession, earning an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Kendall Roy. Strong’s other notable projects include the films Lincoln, Parkland, Selma, and The Trial of the Chicago 7, and the series The Good Wife and Masters of Sex.

The Apprentice is part of Cannes’ main competition, alongside films including Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness (which reunites the director with Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe post-Poor Things), David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds, Paul Schrader’s Oh, Canada, and Francis Ford Coppola’s star-studded passion project Megalopolis.