Incoming First Lady, Melania Trump, will star in a captivating new documentary helmed by director Brett Ratner and exclusively distributed by Amazon Prime Video. On Sunday, the tech giant's streaming arm revealed it had secured exclusive licensing rights for both streaming and theatrical releases later this year.
Filming for this intriguing documentary has already commenced. Amazon issued a statement promising viewers an "unparalleled behind-the-scenes glimpse" into the life of Melania Trump, heralding it as a "genuinely one-of-a-kind narrative." The soon-to-be-again First Lady also graced the literary world last year with her self-titled memoir. Her husband will be sworn into office on January 20th.
This film marks another significant tie between Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Donald Trump. In December, Amazon pledged to donate $1 million to the President-elect's inauguration fund and announced plans to stream the inaugural ceremony on its Prime Video service, a separate in-kind contribution valued at another $1 million.
The two titans have had a tumultuous past. During Trump's first term, he lambasted Amazon and lambasted the political coverage of The Washington Post, which Bezos owns. However, as Amazon and other tech giants strive to mend fences with the incoming administration, Trump has adopted a more conciliatory stance.
In December, Bezos expressed optimism about potential regulatory relief in the upcoming years and signaled his "hopefulness" for Trump's second term. Notably, Bezos refrained from allowing The Washington Post to endorse a presidential candidate in October, a decision that sparked subscription cancellations from tens of thousands and protests from seasoned journalists. This weekend, a cartoonist resigned after an editor rejected her sketch depicting the newspaper's owner and other media executives bowing before the President-elect.
This documentary also marks Ratner's directorial comeback following sexual misconduct allegations levied by several women, including actor Olivia Munn, during the early days of the #MeToo movement in November 2017. Ratner, whose lawyer has denied the accusations, is renowned for directing the "Rush Hour" film series, "Red Dragon," and "X-Men: The Last Stand." Fernando Sulichin, an Argentine filmmaker, serves as the executive producer of the film, which commenced shooting in December.
Melania Trump, Donald Trump's third wife, has remained an enigmatic figure since her husband's 2016 election announcement. She has cherished her privacy even as First Lady, prioritizing her son Barron's upbringing and advocating for her "Be Best" initiative to bolster the "social, emotional, and physical well-being of children." Although she made appearances at her husband's 2024 campaign launch and the Republican National Convention's closing night this summer, she largely stayed away from the campaign trail. However, the responsibilities of being First Lady once again may necessitate a higher public profile post-Inauguration Day.
