The Apprentice: Sebastian Stan's First Look Poster As Young Donald Trump Is A Hit

Sebastian Stan, who recently appeared as Tommy Lee in Pam & Tommy, is set to play another real life character, Donald Trump, in the upcoming film The Apprentice. Directed by Ali Abbasi, known for his work on The Last Of Us, the film will explore Trump’s early years as a real estate mogul in New York City. The makers recently released the first official photo, featuring Stan as a young Trump and Succession star Jeremy Strong as Trump’s lawyer Roy Cohn. Adding to the excitement, the production house Scythia Films announced that the biopic is set to premiere during the 77th edition of Cannes. During the 2024 French film festival, Abbasi’s film will be competing in the main competition. The film explores themes of power, corruption and deception. The first griping still from the film offers a glimpse at Strong’s character staring intensely towards the young Trump.

The movie also features Maria Bakalova as Ivana Trump and Martin Donovan as Donald’s father, Fred Trump. As per The Hollywood Reporter, the official synopsis of the movie reads, “The Apprentice is a dive into the underbelly of the American empire. It charts a young Donald Trump’s ascent to power through a Faustian deal with the influential right-wing lawyer and political fixer Roy Cohn.”

Interestingly, during Cannes 2024, The Apprentice is set to compete alongside strong contenders like Francis Ford Coppola’s epic Megalopolis, featuring Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito and Nathalie Emmanuel. Yorgos Lanthimos’ Kinds of Kindness, an anthology featuring Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe and Paul Schrader’s Oh Canada starring Richard Gere. Additionally, Jacques Audiard’s musical Emilia Perez with Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez, Paolo Sorrentino’s Parthenope with Gary Oldman and David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds featuring Vincent Cassel and Diane Kruger are also included in the lineup.

The Apprentice will be Ali Abbasi’s first film since Holy Spider in 2022. On the other hand, Sebastian Stan, known for his work as Bucky Barnes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, recently lent his voice in the Marvel animated series What If, appeared in the miniseries Pam & Tommy, and impressed audiences with his performance in the psychological thriller A Different Man, which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in January.

Donald Trump entered the business world as an employee at his father’s real estate company, Trump Management. He transformed the business and built luxury projects across the US, including the iconic Trump Tower in New York City and properties in Mumbai, Istanbul and other parts of the world. While The Apprentice will focus on Trump’s early career and rise as a real estate tycoon, it remains unclear if the film will shed light on his tenure as the 45th president of the United States.