Trump’s ‘Apprentice’ Film Legal Threats Prove Fake News As Film’s Telluride Screening Starts, U.S. Release Looms

https://deadline.com/2024/08/trump-apprentice-movie-lawsuit-telluride-1236075050/

When it comes to The Apprentice film screening tonight at the Telluride Film Festival, Donald Trump has proved once again to be all bluster, no bite.

The former president’s campaign may have sent out a vitriolic cease and desist letter earlier this year and threatened legal action against the Cannes premiering Ali Abbasi directed and Gabriel Sherman written movie, but they’ve done nothing since.

Back in late May, Trump’s Dhillon Law Group attorneys gave the Apprentice filmmakers until the 27th of that month to essentially shut down anyone ever seeing their acclaimed film in America. Calling the Canadian, Irish and American funded flick “a concoction of lies that repeatedly defames President Trump and constitutes direct foreign interference in America’s elections,” the Alexandra, VA-based lawyers swore if Abbasi helmed movie did “not immediately cease and desist all distribution and marketing of this libelous farce,” then Team Trump would “be forced to pursue all appropriate legal remedies.”

With The Apprentice set for a U.S. release likely on or near October 11 via ex-Open Road CEO Tom Ortenberg’s Briarcliff Entertainment, it looks like the Trump team has decided to walk away from the whole matter and hope it just fades away, according to sources close to the situation.

While this being the impulse control deficient Trumpland, there is a chance that could change, and a lawsuit could still end up coming. However, right now, with the First Amendment looking pretty good for The Apprentice filmmakers, so much for any legal of sorts on Trump’s part.