Political Thriller
Is ‘The Prince’ Really About Hunter Biden? Filmmakers Say No, But Audiences Aren’t So Sure
David Mamet’s latest screenplay, The Prince, is sparking heated debate as audiences question whether the film is a thinly veiled portrait of Hunter Biden. Featuring a star-studded cast of The Prince, including Nicolas Cage, J.K. Simmons, Giancarlo Esposito, and Scott Haze in the lead role, the film follows Parker, a troubled addict and the black sheep of a powerful American political dynasty. As his father’s presidential campaign gains momentum and his more successful brother dies unexpectedly, Parker is thrust into the spotlight—and into scandal.
Directed by Cameron Van Hoy, The Prince explores weighty themes: addiction, privilege, and the toxic undercurrents of political power. Though Cameron Van Hoy insists the film is not about the President’s son, parallels to Hunter Biden’s real-life struggles—including substance abuse, a controversial memoir, and legal troubles—are unmistakable.
The controversy began when Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright David Mamet revealed in an interview that the film was initially pitched to him as a Hunter Biden story. “They said they wanted to do a movie about Hunter Biden,” David Mamet told The Daily Wire. “I said I’d do it, as long as I could write it my way.”
The resulting screenplay, however, avoids directly naming real figures, something Cameron Van Hoy and Scott Haze say was intentional. “This movie is not political. It’s not about Hunter Biden,” Cameron Van Hoy told Vanity Fair. “It’s a timeless story about power, addiction, and the burdens of legacy.”
Still, that hasn’t stopped media outlets and online commentators from framing The Prince as a conservative-leaning exposé. Its connection to Sound of Freedom—another politically divisive project—further fuels speculation. Executive producer Sean Wolfington backed both films, and The Prince also features a sex trafficking subplot reminiscent of Sound of Freedom’s themes.
View this post on Instagram
Scott Haze, who also co-produced The Prince, says the comparison misses the point. “The goal was never to make a movie about any one person,” he says. “It’s about the human condition, the lack of accountability for people in power, and how that affects the ones they love.”
With powerhouse performances in The Prince—Scott Haze reportedly cried for hours after filming an emotionally raw scene—and bold creative choices, the movie aims to spark conversation beyond partisan politics. Yet, the Hunter Biden The Prince movie narrative, amplified by early reports and David Mamet’s comments, may prove difficult to shake.
Currently seeking distribution and eyeing major festival premieres, Nicolas Cage‘s The Prince is poised to become one of 2025’s most polarizing and talked-about films. Whether viewed as an allegory, a political provocation, or something in between, The Prince asks an urgent question: Can art tackle power and addiction without becoming a pawn in the culture wars?
