President Trump threatened to sue producers of the 2015 film “Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!” for failing to cast him as the movie’s fictional president.
“The Donald said yes,” David Latt, one of the cult franchise’s executives, told The Hollywood Reporter. “He was thrilled to be asked.”
Trump was suggested by the Syfy series’ star Ian Ziering after talks with former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin petered out.
But, although a contract was drafted for Trump, negotiations fell through when producers did not receive a response.
Fellow businessman and “Shark Tank” star Mark Cuban was ultimately cast in the role of the president of the United States after Latt was told by Trump lawyer Michael Cohen his client was “thinking about making a legitimate run for the presidency.”
When Trump was made aware of the alternate casting, Latt said he was finally contacted by Cohen.
“He basically said, ‘How dare you? Donald wanted to do this. We’re going to sue you! We’re going to shut the entire show down!'” Latt said.
Cohen told The Hollywood Reporter he recalled discussing the opportunity with Ziering, who appeared on Trump’s television show “Celebrity Apprentice,” but said he had “no recollection of the angry correspondence.”
“Sharknado 5: Global Swarming” will premiere on Syfy on Aug. 6.
