Sebastian Stan Was Cast as Donald Trump and the Internet Is Not Having It

News that Sebastian Stan will be portraying a young Donald Trump in an upcoming movie has been hit with a wave of derision on social media.

The Hollywood Reporter said on Wednesday that Stan will take on the lead role in The Apprentice, an Ali Abbasi-directed biopic named for the business-themed reality show that Trump fronted for years before becoming president.

Per reports, Stan will portray Trump as he builds his real estate empire in New York City between the 1970s and 1980s. The movie will tackle such themes as power, corruption and deception as an American dynasty begins.

Also included in the ensemble cast are Maria Bakalova, who is playing Trump's first wife Ivana Trump, and Jeremy Strong—who had an Emmy-winning turn in HBO's acclaimed dynasty-themed drama Succession—as Donald Trump's lawyer and mentor Roy Cohn.

The script has been penned by Gabriel Sherman, who wrote the biography of Fox News founder Roger Ailes, called The Loudest Voice in the Room. The book inspired Showtime's 2019 miniseries The Loudest Voice, starring Russell Crowe.

Newsweek has contacted representatives of Donald Trump via email for comment.

With principal photography having begun on The Apprentice this week, a number of social media users expressed their resistance to the idea that Stan had been cast as a younger version of former President Trump.

"They can give Trump the '90s soft lighting all they want, but we all know that is some extremely kind casting," wrote one detractor on X, formerly Twitter. "I'm not even a Sebastian Stan girl, but please. That is some Crown level casting."

"This must be April the 1st," said one X user, while another quipped: "If someone wanted to cast me as Donald Trump I would be personally offended."

Sharing a screenshot showing photos of Stan and Donald Trump side-by-side, another commented: "Uncanny Resemblance between Donald Trump and Sebastian Stan," adding a laughing emoji for effect.

Others voiced different reasons for their objections to the casting, with one stating: "I love Sebastian Stan & I absolutely hate Donald Trump. I personally think it's far too early for any kind of Trump biopic."

"And just like that Sebastian Stan is back on probation," another said. "What do you mean you're gonna play Donald Trump?!"

Suggesting an alternative actor for the role, another chimed in: "Owen Wilson is literally right there for young Don..."

"Aside from the incredibly generous casting given how hot Sebastian Stan is 😂, until I know more about this film ugh," read another post. "However, if it's good, it will be an interesting challenge. Having seen Bertie Carvel do Trump only last year [in stage production The 47th], it's a lot to live up to as that was brilliant!"

Actor Patrick Schwarzenegger, son of action star and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, was among those who expressed enthusiasm over the casting.

"Sebastian is great," the younger Schwarzenegger wrote on X of the news. "Love him. He also must have a really great team. He gets amazing projects."

Stan earned an Emmy nomination for his acclaimed portrayal of Mötley Crüe rocker Tommy Lee in the Hulu miniseries Pam & Tommy. Lily James portrayed Lee's ex-wife Pamela Anderson.

Noting Stan's record of giving his all in roles, another X user said: "I feel like a lot of people are reacting weirdly to this, as if wanting to play Trump is some sort of endorsement. Don't forget that Sebastian Stan is unhinged. His Trump will slap."

Mimi Cave, the director of thriller Fresh, told Newsweek last year that Stan convinced her to cast him in the role of psychopath Steve by sending her a video of himself dancing with a steak knife.

"Before he even knew that he got the part he sent me an email and it was just a video attached of him dancing in his kitchen with a steak knife," Cave said. "He was just really wanting to dive into the character already."

Cave admitted she had already decided to give Stan the role before he'd sent the clip thanks to his audition, but the video footage proved how committed he was to the part.

"Sebastian and I worked really closely for many months on designing Steve, and his commitment to the role was something that allowed us to do that," she said of the way they created the character together.

"I really loved his performance in I, Tonya [in which he played Tonya Harding's ex-husband Jeff Gillooly] and I felt like the choices he was making in that role were really specific and really interesting, and I knew that if he was committed to making Steve work that it was going to be great.

"Obviously he has a sort of inherent magnetism in him, and so I already knew that I wasn't worried about the chemistry between him and Daisy [Edgar-Jones], I knew it was going to be great. It was really more about honing in on this version of a psychopath that we devised. And Sebastian is very funny, and very warm, and engaging."

A release date for The Apprentice is yet to be announced.