‘The Apprentice’ Director Ali Abbasi Exits CAA Amid Report of Alleged Groping Incident – Hollywood Reporter
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood ReporterSubscribe for full access to The Hollywood ReporterThe filmmaker is known for helming the Oscar-nominated feature that stars Sebastian Stan as a young Donald Trump.
By
Ryan Gajewski
Senior Entertainment Reporter
Filmmaker Ali Abbasi, who most recently directed the Oscar-nominated feature The Apprentice, is no longer represented by CAA, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Deadline, which broke the news, reported about an alleged groping incident involving at Abbasi at CAA’s Golden Globes party last month, but the agency had no comment on the issue. He is also no longer represented by Entertainment 360 but remains a client of Lark Management in the U.K., which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement shared with Deadline, Abbasi cited a new direction in his career path in noting that he is no longer working with CAA and Entertainment 360.
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Abbasi helmed the feature The Apprentice, which was released theatrically by Briarcliff Entertainment in October after a splashy premiere at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. Sebastian Stan earned an Oscar nomination for best actor for his role as a young Donald Trump, while Jeremy Strong is nominated for best supporting actor for portraying Roy Cohn. The film also earned nominations for both Stan and Strong at this year’s Golden Globes.
The Iranian-born filmmaker is up for an Independent Spirit Award for best director this weekend. The Apprentice is also nominated for Stan’s lead performance and for best editing at this year’s ceremony celebrating indie filmmaking.
Abbasi’s previous movies include the 2022 release Holy Spider, which was the Danish selection for the best international feature Oscar (but was not nominated), and 2018’s Border, which won the Un Certain Regard award at Cannes that year.Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every daySign up for THR news straight to your inbox every daySubscribe for full access to The Hollywood ReporterSend us a tip using our anonymous form.
