A few weeks ago, we heard about Brett Ratner and Amazon/MGM teaming up on, of all things, a Melania Trump documentary which will be co-produced by the first lady herself. Amazon/MGM reportedly dished out close to $40M to acquire the rights to the film.
A studio spokesperson called the doc “an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look” at the first lady and third wife of Donald Trump. A 2025 theatrical release is being set up for the doc, and it’ll then be three-parter “streaming event.” Friends of Ratner told Variety that as far as a comeback goes, he “saw a pathway back by directing a documentary.” Much to his surprise, Amazon quickly hopped onboard the project even as it was still filming.
Puck’s Matt Belloni is now reporting on rumors circling around Ratner who might have plans to follow up his Melania project with, you guessed it, a Donald Trump documentary. No word yet on when this one would start production, if it hasn’t already, but apparently Ratner is fully installed at Mar-a-Lago as a “guest” of Melania’s.
Ratner hasn’t worked in Hollywood for eight years now. In 2017, during the height of #MeToo, he faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment. Ratner was immediately dropped by his agency. He has strongly denied all allegations of sexual misconduct, and no charges were ever brought against him.
Last we checked in with Brett Ratner, he was part of a pitch going around Hollywood for “Rush Hour 4.” He directed the first three, but THR was reporting that Ratner’s involvement was “a nonstarter for several studios,” including Paramount and Sony, which were offered the package. Wouldn’t surprise me if Amazon has now shown interest in it.
It’s not like Ratner hasn’t attempted a comeback since the allegations surfaced more than seven years ago. In 2021, he was set to helm a longtime passion project of his, a biopic tackling disgraced R&B duo Milli Vanilli. However, major backlash, including a vehement condemnation from Time’s Up, forced him to drop out.
Ratner’s filmography includes “Rush Hour,” “The Family Man,” “X-Men: The Last Stand,” and “Tower Heist.” His best film is 2002’s “Red Dragon” starring Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter.
The short version: "Woman Unknown" was a compromise. The jury deadlocked over "Possible Love" and "NAZA," not able to com to terms, fell back on their #3, May el-Toukhy's film.