Hey, would you look at that. A week or so after being dropped by CAA for “groping” an “A-list actor” at a Golden Globes afterparty, Ali Abbasi has now signed on to be repped by UTA, who also happen to be CAA’s rival.
If the alleged incident had happened between 2016-2020 then, forget about it, he’d have already been “canceled.” However, things are slowly starting to change and Abbasi’s “slap on the rear” is now apparently being brushed off. He apologized soon after the incident had been made public.
The Iranian-born filmmaker, who currently resides in Copenhagen, directed “The Apprentice,” a Donald Trump biopic that earned Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong Oscar nominations. The film had a lot of industry love and certainly raised Abbasi’s stock.
Abbasi has become a mainstay at the Cannes Film Festival; His “Border” won Un Certain Regard in 2018 and “Holy Spider” competed for the Palme d’Or in 2022. “The Apprentice” also competed for the Palme d’Or in 2024.