Never underestimate the ability of Democrats to get an assist from their fellow travelers as a presidential election is on the horizon. This election year, there is a movie, The Apprentice, that is meant to ding up you-know-who. 

That's right. Hollywood is turning to a movie about Donald Trump's rise to power, back in the 1970s and 1980s. Variety calls it "a scathing portrait of a young Donald Trump." The movie made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival. The film is finding distributors all around the world but so far, there is no U.S. distributor. Is Hollywood afraid to go up against Donald Trump this cycle? 

It was a big success at Cannes. The critics loved it and the audience gave it an eight-minute standing ovation. Then Trump's legal team came into the mix. 

What's the problem? Censorship? Fear of angering Trump, who may be the next president? A history of political movies about modern presidents tanking at the box office? 

But nearly two weeks after its "bigly" premiere, the film still doesn't have a U.S. distributor. Despite strong reviews, feverish media attention, a red-hot director in Ali Abbasi, and a starry cast that includes Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong, "The Apprentice" remains up for grabs.

Sources close to the dealmaking say there are several potential buyers in the mix representing both theatrical distributors and streamers, and new offers continue to trickle in. But one of those sources revealed that none of the major studios are bidding, including their specialty labels like the Disney-owned Searchlight, Sony Pictures Classics or Focus, which is owned by Universal. Even some of the most daring indie distributors like Neon, which released Abbasi's "Border," aren't offering a deal yet.

Privately, the team behind "The Apprentice" believes that their difficulty securing a distribution deal is analogous to censorship. They argue that these companies are operating out of fear, because releasing the movie could land them on Trump's bad side, a potentially dangerous place to be given that he is currently leading President Biden in the polls. If he does return to the White House, Trump could exact his revenge, leveraging his position to block or slow deals, while enlisting different regulatory agencies to more closely scrutinize their operations.

Companies around the world are making deals to distribute the movie across Europe, South America, Israel, Australia, and New Zealand. Canada has a distributor, too. Potential U.S. distributors look to be cowardly. It speaks to their insecurity that President Biden will be re-elected. American distributors see what everyone sees - Trump may likely win in November. The big shots in Hollywood look jittery about any retribution that may come their way. 

The Apprentice is both a hot potato and a buzzy proposition with plenty of built-in marketing. International buyers may be less obviously in the firing line than a U.S. distributor but there has been speculation that Trump’s status after the upcoming Presidential election could be influential on any release: he will either be a convicted felon who has just lost his second consecutive attempt at the White House or he will be the U.S. President and once again the world’s most powerful man (as well as a convicted felon).

Companies who can distribute the movie don't want to alienate half of the country. They have been learning the hard way that 'go woke, go broke' is a real thing. That goes for a movie that will be seen as election interference. 

And then there is the movie's investor. 

Complicating matters is the fact that the film's investor, billionaire Dan Snyder, must approve any sale. Sources say the former Washington Commanders owner and Trump friend was furious with the portrayal of the former president after screening a cut of the movie in February. While the first half of the film presents a kinder, gentler Trump, depicting him as a social striver with daddy issues, the second half sees the future reality TV star-turned-politician devolve into a narcissist who loses his moral compass and is disloyal to his mentor, Roy Cohn. He's also depicted raping his first wife, Ivana, and abusing amphetamines.

You can see Trump's friend's problem. Ivana, by the way, disavowed the rape story in her book. Snyder sent a cease-and-desist letter to keep the offensive cut from staying in the movie.

After Snyder saw the film, his Kinematics' lawyers sent the filmmakers cease-and-desist letters in a bid to keep the current cut from seeing the light of day, as Variety previously reported. Sources familiar with the back and forth say the filmmakers have not heard from the Kinematics team since the film debuted in Cannes. Still, Kinematics, which was founded by Snyder's son-in-law Mark Rapaport, likely won't scuttle a deal because it would damage the fledgling company's reputation within the creative community and create the impression that it is willing to censor artists. ("The Apprentice" marks Kinematics' first film.)

Metropolitan FilmExport, which will distribute the film in France, was on the phone dealing with legal issues almost every day during Cannes, according to one insider. Shortly after the film's festival bow, Trump's lawyers sent their own cease-and-desist letter to the filmmakers. Those headaches will only intensify when "The Apprentice" prepares to make its public debut. "The movie comes with a ball and chain," the source adds. 

It's all up in the air right now. A U.S. distributor is expected to make a deal soon. No doubt it will be in time for people to see it before the election. Will it matter to voters? Probably not. It likely will not make a splash at the box office at all. 

Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" was a big hit. Others since then, well, not so much.  Oliver Stone's "W," was a flop. Adam McKay's Dick Cheney takedown "Vice" did not turn a profit. Voters weren't swayed.