The entertainment world is buzzing after a Wall Street Journal report claimed that Amazon has explored the idea of reviving The Apprentice for Prime Video, with Donald Trump Jr. suggested as a potential host. According to the report, the conversation traces back to internal planning since Amazon’s acquisition of MGM, but the company has told reporters the project is not in active development. Multiple sources contacted by Variety also described the reboot as currently inactive and denied that there have been talks with outside producers.
That distinction between internal brainstorming and a commissioned series is important. Amazon acknowledged it has had “preliminary internal discussions” about the property since the MGM deal, but it declined to provide further detail. Insiders reiterated to Variety that no external conversations have taken place and that no production decisions have been made. The term reboot is often used loosely in industry corridors to describe ideas that may never leave the boardroom.
What executives are said to have discussed
Sources cited by the Wall Street Journal point to Mike Hopkins, head of Amazon MGM Studios, and other Amazon executives as leading the preliminary talks. Those discussions reportedly began “early last year, around the time Trump was being sworn in for his second term,” according to people familiar with the matter. That internal timeline suggests executives were weighing whether the legacy of The Apprentice could be valuable for streaming, but a concept meeting is far from a greenlight.
Where the reporting and denials intersect
Industry reporting can sometimes conflate curiosity and commitment. While one outlet described concrete plans and a named host, Amazon and multiple insiders pushed back that the program is not in development. The company’s public statement used the phrase in development to clarify that while it has discussed the franchise, there is no active production or outside collaboration underway.
Amazon’s previous Trump family programming
Any reboot would join a small but notable roster of Trump-family-themed projects on Amazon. Earlier, the streamer released a documentary titled Melania, directed by Brett Ratner, which debuted in late January. The film drew critical backlash yet set a box office opening record for a non-fiction feature in the preceding decade, earning roughly $7 million domestically at launch. That release demonstrates both Amazon’s willingness to platform high-profile, controversial subjects and the commercial curiosity such projects can generate.
Production players and outreach
Variety also reported that representatives for veteran producer Mark Burnett, the original executive behind The Apprentice, were contacted for comment. Burnett’s involvement or blessing would be a logical consideration for any revival, given his role in shaping the original series. As of now, no public statements from Burnett’s camp confirm active negotiations.
The legacy of The Apprentice and what a revival might look like
The Apprentice was a signature early-2000s reality series that put aspiring entrepreneurs through business-focused challenges, with the host eliminating contestants until a winner emerged. The original run—hosted by Donald Trump across 186 episodes from 2004-2015—earned nine Emmy nominations and spun off iterations such as Celebrity Apprentice and The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. The show’s structure and the host’s on-camera role as an authoritative mentor became defining traits of the format.
Reviving the program would raise creative and reputational questions: would the new version preserve the original format of boardroom eliminations and the iconic catchphrase? Would it center on a family member as the public face, as the WSJ suggests with Donald Trump Jr.? The conversation is not purely creative—executives must weigh audience appetite, advertiser concerns, and the broader cultural context.
Historical notes and lingering connections
One relevant anecdote comes from 2026 reporting: Donald Trump told Variety co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh that after stepping away from the show in 2015 to pursue his presidential campaign, he had suggested Ivanka Trump as his preferred successor to NBC. That remark appears in Setoodeh’s 2026 book, Apprentice in Wonderland: How Donald Trump and Mark Burnett Took America Through the Looking Glass, and highlights how closely the family’s identity has been tied to the franchise.
For now, the situation remains in the ideation stage: industry names have been floated, internal memos have circulated, and reporters have asked producers for comment, but no formal development or production schedule has been announced. Any final decision by Amazon to move forward would likely prompt rapid coverage and scrutiny given the show’s history and the personalities involved.
