Ali Abbasi-directed The Apprentice, starring Sebastian Stan as Trump, Jeremy Strong as his fixer Roy Cohn and Maria Bakalova as Ivana Trump, debuted to acclaim at Cannes but became bogged down by legal threats from the former President who took exception to the material. Then producers had to deal with main financier Kinematics — some of whose projects, including The Apprentice, have been backed by Trump supporter Dan Snyder — exiting the movie. All this got in the way of the team securing domestic distribution, which is now set with Tom Ortenberg’s Briarcliff for an October 11 release.
We first announced producer Rich Spirit, overseen by LA-based USC alum Shani, in May during the bustle of Cannes. The company, we can reveal, has now expanded into distribution and is backing The Apprentice‘s release with Briarcliff.
Shani tells us the evolved company will encompass production, financing, and now distribution, with a focus on creative direction and guerrilla marketing for independent films with theatrical ambitions. The company will partner with established distributors to support acquisition costs, P&A, and grassroots marketing aimed at younger audiences.
Shani invested his own capital to start Rich Spirit earlier this year, invested $500k into The Apprentice early on as an EP, and when the opportunity arose to buy out Kinematics and use the film as a pilot for Rich Spirit’s distribution ambitions, Shani raised additional capital from private investors. His model consists of buying three-four films a year, investing 50% of the capital itself and partnering with the investor group on the remaining 50%.
