Pratik Handore
After impressing audiences and critics alike with his 2022 Persian-language neo-noir film ‘Holy Spider,’ Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi is gearing up to start work on his next feature film. Titled ‘The Apprentice,’ the thriller film will reportedly be set in the United States. Cinemaholic can confirm that the filming of the movie will begin in Toronto in November. Sebastian Stan leads the cast, which also includes Jeremy Strong and Maria Bakalova.
The film revolves around how a young Donald Trump (Stan) started his real estate business in New York during the 1970s and ’80s, following his rise to power as seen from the perspective of his many early influences, including lawyer Roy Cohn (Strong).
Ali Abbasi is an Iranian writer-director who gained recognition with his feature film directorial debut, the 2016 Danish horror movie ‘Shelley.’ After his debut film’s critical acclaim, Abbasi directed ‘Border,’ a 2018 Swedish fantasy film based on the short story of the same name by Ajvide Lindqvist. Abbasi’s most recent release is 2022’s critically acclaimed crime-thriller movie ‘Holy Spider,’ which won several accolades across the globe.
Although Abbasi is primarily known for his European filmmaking sensibilities, he is best known in Hollywood for directing episodes of the HBO post-apocalyptic drama series ‘The Last of Us,’ starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. It is based on the video game series of the same name by Naughty Dog. Abbasi’s experience working on the series, produced by a major Hollywood studio, likely contributed to his decision to set up his next directorial feature film in the United States.
As with his previous directorial ventures, Abbasi is expected to co-write the screenplay for ‘The Apprentice.’ In a 2022 interview, Abbasi expressed an interest in reinventing himself as a storyteller and director. Abbasi stated that he was working on several political projects, indicating the upcoming movie will also feature a heavy dose of the filmmaker’s trademark socio-political commentary.
Aside from his writing and directing duties, Abbasi will likely also co-produce the movie after doing so for the first time on his last film. Abbasi is also expected to return for directing episodes of the second season of ‘The Last of Us,’ which was announced in January 2023.
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