Apprentice contestant fired then hired

Donald Trump has a new project. Picture / Reuters

Real estate tycoon and reality TV star Donald Trump is adding a Hollywood production company to his business empire, and has named a "fired" contestant from The Apprentice to run it.

"He's a very talented guy, a very fine student from Harvard, and he's going to be terrific. I have no doubt about it," Trump said of Andy Litinsky, the young Ivy League graduate put in charge of Trump's as-yet unnamed new company.

Trump said he is developing a television show based on the classic real-estate board game Monopoly that is likely to be one of the first projects to emerge from his latest business venture.