Sebastian Stan Will Play Donald Trump in New Movie

Sebastian Stan, known for his role in the MCU and the award-winning Hulu miniseries Pam & Tommy, has been confirmed by a number of sources to play the young Donald Trump in The Apprentice, a new film directed by Iranian filmmaker and Cannes prize winner Ali Abbasi (Holy Spider), per Deadline.

The Apprentice will explore Trump’s real estate business in New York during the ’70s and ’80s, as well as his relationship with infamous lawyer Roy Cohn. The story is described as a study of power and ambition set in a corrupt and deceitful world. It’s a mentor-protege story that charts the origins of an American dynasty. Jeremy Strong is co-starring with him in the role of Cohn. 

Production on the film, which will also star Oscar nominee Maria Bakalova, began this week. This news comes at the same time as the former United States president is standing trial in New York for fraud. Trump is under indictment in multiple cases, but he is considering a run for the White House in 2024 as the current Republican presidential frontrunner.

Stan has portrayed a wide array of real-life figures over the years. The actor recently depicted Robinhood Markets CEO Vladimir Tenev in the movie Dumb Money and Craig Gillespie’s film on the GameStop short squeeze of 2021, which Sony released after premiering at TIFF in September. 

In addition to enjoying rave reviews for his role as Mötley Crüe’s Tommy Lee opposite Lily James’ Pam Anderson on Hulu’s Pam & Tommy, he was also praised for his portrayal of Jeff Gilooly, Tonya Harding’s abusive husband in the Gillespie-directed I, Tonya.

While he is best known for playing Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier in a number of projects, including Captain America: The First Avenger and Thunderbolts, Stan has also appeared in Apple’s thriller Sharper with Julianne Moore and Mimi Cave’s Fresh with Daisy Edgar-Jones. He will also be starring in the upcoming A24 thriller A Different Man, which he will executive produce and star opposite Reinate Reinsve, who featured in The Worst Person in the World.

In addition to directing two episodes for HBO’s hit video game adaptation The Last Of Us, this year’s Cannes Film Festival saw the premiere of his latest feature, Holy Spider, which won the Best Actress prize for Zar Amir Ebrahimi. His previous work includes the Oscar-nominated fantasy Border as well as the Berlin horror film Shelley.