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2 months ago
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EXCLUSIVE: The back and forth over the prospect of hot button film on the formative years of Donald Trump is near done, and The Dish hears that backer Kinematics will soon be bought out of Daniel Snyder’s $5 million investment with a premium. Tom Ortenberg, who runs Briarcliff Entertainment and has overseen the distribution of films that included Fahrenheit 9/11, Best Picture winner Spotlight, Night Crawler and many others, is getting close to acquiring the film for fall release.
Directed by Ali Abbasi and written by Gabriel Sherman, the film stars Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump and Jeremy Strong as his mentor lawyer Roy Cohn in a film that traces the formative years of the former president who’ll take another run at the White House this fall. Maria Bakalova plays his ex-wife Ivana Trump.
The film was one of the hottest tickets at Cannes, even as it became clear that major studios would steer clear. The prospect of awards caliber performances by Succession’s Strong, The Avengers’ Stan and Bakalova and a powerful provocative story that should be a must-see in awards season was overshadowed by the idea that a return to the White House by Trump could create problems for the conglomerate behind a film you just know he’s going to hate. Partial financier is former Washington Commanders owner Snyder, a Trump supporter who also has disparaged the film. Ortenberg was the only distributor I’ve heard about who stepped up, and he has been trying to tie down a deal for at least a month. Offshore territories were acquired quickly, and those releases are expected to happen after it plays in the U.S. during election season.
There will be more to come on this one. Stay tuned.
