Trump was reportedly going to be the Sharknado 3 president until he got to be the real president instead

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 2 August 2017

What is the only thing better than being the president in Sharknado 3? Getting to be president in real life, of course.

It was a gamble President Trump happened to luck out on. David Latt, who works on the selachian Syfy brand, told The Hollywood Reporter that in January 2015 the team wanted to cast Trump as the fictional president in Sharknado 3. Trump even "said yes," Latt said. "He was thrilled to be asked."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

With the production clock ticking, [independent film company] Asylum pulled the trigger on a backup plan, offering the role to Mark Cuban — a modest casting coup that Syfy trumpeted with a press release."Then we immediately heard from Trump's lawyer," recalls Latt. "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!'" Contacted by THR, Cohen acknowledges a dinner with [Sharknado star Ian] Ziering to discuss casting Trump but says he has no recollection of the angry correspondence. [The Hollywood Reporter]

Explore More

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.