Amazon confirms Melania Trump documentary

The behind-the-scenes confidential will be directed by Brett Ratner.

A documentary about Melania Trump will be released later this year, Amazon has confirmed, touting the forthcoming release as “an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look” at the former and incoming US first lady.

Filming began in December with former Hollywood heavyweight Brett Ratner as the director, Variety reported on Monday.

“We are excited to share this truly unique story with our millions of customers around the world,” an Amazon spokesperson told the outlet. “Prime Video will be sharing more details on the project as filming progresses and release plans are finalized.”

The film will reportedly be released in theaters as well as on the Prime streaming platform. Trump herself is listed as an executive producer, alongside Fernando Sulichin of New Element Media. Sulichin has worked with Oliver Stone on documentaries about NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and Brazilian president Luiz Inacio ‘Lula’ da Silva.

Work on the project began about a month after her husband Donald decisively won the 2024 US presidential election.

Slovenian-born Melania is Trump’s third wife and the mother of his youngest son, Barron.

Amazon’s Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos also owns the Washington Post, which was openly critical of Trump during his first term in the White House (2017-2021). Bezos has recently signaled a change of approach, praising Trump for “tremendous grace and courage under literal fire” after an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania in July. Ahead of the November election, he blocked the Post from endorsing Trump’s rival, Vice President Kamala Harris.

Last month, Bezos also announced he would be making a $1 million donation to Trump’s inauguration fund and another $1 million in-kind contribution by streaming the ceremony on Prime Video.

Ratner’s involvement has attracted some controversy in Hollywood. The director of X-Men: The Last Stand and the Rush Hour franchise has not worked since 2017, when several actresses publicly accused him of inappropriate sexual behaviour.

No charges were ever filed, however, and the entire episode played out in the court of public opinion at the height of the ‘Me Too’ era triggered by accusations against producer Harvey Weinstein.