Sebastian Stan To Play A Young Donald Trump In Ali Abbasi Film ‘The Apprentice’ – The Dish
Sebastian Stan, Donald Trump pictured in 1982 Michael Buckner for Deadline/Getty
EXCLUSIVE: Here’s one you probably didn’t see coming: Sebastian Stan, the Emmy and Golden Globe nominee known for his work in the MCU and the acclaimed Hulu miniseries Pam & Tommy, has been tapped for the role of a young Donald Trump in The Apprentice, a new film from Cannes prize-winning Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi (Holy Spider), according to multiple sources.
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The Apprentice will examine 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 Roy Cohn.
News of the project comes as the former POTUS stands trial in New York for fraud. Although currently under multiple indictments in multiple cases, the twice impeached Trump’s eyeing a return to the Oval Office as the current Republican frontrunner for 2024.
One of the most versatile actors of his generation, Stan has already memorably portrayed many a real-life figure — most recently stepping in to the role of Robinhood Markets CEO Vladimir Tenev in Dumb Money, Craig Gillespie’s pic on the GameStop short squeeze of 2021, which was released by Sony in September after premiering at TIFF. He previously drew rave reviews for his turns as Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee opposite Lily James’ Pam Anderson on Hulu’s Pam & Tommy, and broke out with his turn as Jeff Gilooly, the abusive spouse of elite figure skater Tonya Harding, in the Gillespie-helmed I, Tonya.
Otherwise best known for his work as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier in projects ranging from Captain America: The First Avenger to the forthcoming Thunderbolts, Stan’s other recent credits include Apple’s thriller Sharper with Julianne Moore and Mimi Cave’s horror-thriller Fresh with Daisy Edgar-Jones. Also coming up for him is the A24 thriller A Different Man, which he exec produced and stars in opposite The Worst Person in the World‘s Reinate Reinsve.
Directing two episodes for the first season of HBO’s smash hit video game adaptation The Last Of Us, Abbasi’s most recent feature, Holy Spider, premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where star Zar Amir Ebrahimi won the award for Best Actress. The serial killer thriller went on to be selected as the official Danish entry for the Best International Feature Oscar and was shortlisted, though not ultimately nominated. Other past features from the filmmaker include the Oscar-nominated troll fantasy Border and the Berlin horror pic Shelley.
Stan is repped by CAA, Brookside Artist Management, and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern; Abbasi by CAA, LARK in the UK, and Entertainment 360; and Sherman by Entertainment 360.