Major networks ABC and CBS have decided not to run any of the planned TV spots for director Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice, which explores the early years of former president Donald Trump and his relationship with lawyer Roy Cohn during the 1970s and 1980s, during the Presidential campaign debates. According to Deadline, the decision has been slammed as “timidity and cowardice” by Tom Ortenberg, the founder of Briarcliff Entertainment, the studio that will distribute The Apprentice in the United States.
“The timidity and cowardice of those in the corridors of power in Hollywood never ceases to amaze. Despite all the obstacles thrown in our way, we are thrilled to be able to bring The Apprentice to theatres — and only theatres — next Friday, October 11.”
The absence of any spots for The Apprentice began with CBS’ hosting of the debate between Vice President candidates Tim Walz and J.D. Vance, with the report revealing that “Briarcliff was informed that the network didn’t feel comfortable advertising the Cannes Film Festival-premiering title during the debate or newscasts.”
Deadline also revealed that “CBS doesn’t want to affiliate a paid ad featuring a movie trailer about one of the presidential candidates with their news broadcasts due to ethical concerns stemming from standards and practices for news coverage. Briarcliff wanted to buy ads on CBS news programs.” However, they do state that the networks are “open to airing spots during other parts of the day.”
The Apprentice Is Due To Be Released Next Week
Directed by Ali Abbasi and written by Gabriel Sherman, The Apprenticestars Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump and Succession’s Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn, and follows a young Trump as he begins a career as a real estate businessman in New York. You can check out the official synopsis below.
“A young Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan), eager to make his name as a hungry second son of a wealthy family in 1970s New York, comes under the spell of Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), the cutthroat attorney who would help create the Donald Trump we know today. Cohn sees in Trump the perfect protégé — someone with raw ambition, a hunger for success, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to win.”
The Apprentice had its world premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival back in May, and has been met with strong reviews from critics, landing a score of 77% on Rotten Tomatoes. MovieWeb’s own Britt Hayes praised how the filmmaker “effectively captured the intangible essence of Trump as a public figure” but failed to “locate the human side of Trump.” No doubt an impossible task that would allude most filmmakers.
“Abbassi and Sherman may not be able to locate the human side of Trump (if there is one; it’s distressing to think that these inhuman qualities actually make him exceedingly human), but they have effectively captured the intangible essence of Trump as a public figure. More impressively, The Apprentice pulls off the great magic trick of evoking a specific feeling through the alchemy of cinema.”
The Apprentice
is due to be released in U.S. on October 11.
In the meantime, you can check out the TV spot that the networks refused to air below.