The troubling director behind Melania Trump’s new film

Melania Trump announced Friday the launch of her own production company alongside plans to release a documentary about her life in theaters next month. But the $40 million Amazon project has already generated controversy due to her choice of director and questions about potential conflicts of interest.

The first lady revealed on social media that she has created Muse Films, sharing a sleek 10-second video showcasing the company’s black and silver logo set to dramatic music. The announcement came as more details emerged about her upcoming documentary titled Melania, which hits theaters exclusively on Jan. 30, 2026.

A director with a troubled past

The film will be directed by Brett Ratner, a filmmaker who withdrew from Hollywood in 2018 amid the MeToo movement after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct. Ratner has denied all allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment, but his involvement in a first lady’s biographical documentary immediately raised eyebrows.

The choice of Ratner represents a particularly eyebrow-raising decision given the cultural reckoning around workplace harassment and abuse of power that reshaped Hollywood. Many prominent filmmakers accused during the MeToo era found themselves essentially blacklisted from major studio projects.

Melania Trump’s decision to work with Ratner effectively provides him with a high-profile platform and legitimacy that Hollywood largely denied him after the allegations surfaced. The partnership suggests either a deliberate statement about her views on the accusations or a willingness to overlook them entirely.

The first lady has not addressed the criticism surrounding her director choice or explained her rationale for selecting Ratner to helm such a personal project. That silence leaves observers to draw their own conclusions about what the collaboration says about her priorities and values.

An expensive peek behind the curtain

Amazon reportedly paid $40 million to license the documentary, a figure that was first reported by Puck News earlier this year. Three sources familiar with the arrangement confirmed that the deal includes both the feature-length documentary and a two-to-three-episode follow-up docuseries about the first lady’s life.

The series will document how Melania splits her time between New York, Florida and Washington, D.C., offering viewers what producers promise will be unprecedented access to her daily routine. Whether that access proves genuinely revealing remains to be seen given her history of carefully controlling her public image.

Melania serves as an executive producer on the documentary, giving her significant creative control over the final product. She told Fox & Friends in January that she conceived the project herself, describing her life as incredibly busy and incredible enough to warrant a film.

The first lady reportedly approached her agent with the idea and requested they negotiate a deal on her behalf. That proactive approach suggests she views the documentary as more than just passive documentation but rather as a carefully crafted narrative she wants to present to the public.

Questions about transparency and access

The documentary promises a behind-the-scenes look at the days leading up to Donald Trump’s second inauguration. Filming began last December, approximately one month after the president won the 2024 election, allowing cameras to capture a pivotal transition period.

Viewers hoping to see extensive footage of President Trump and the couple’s son Barron should temper their expectations. Reports indicate both will make only brief appearances in the documentary, suggesting Melania intends to keep the focus squarely on herself.

That limited family presence raises questions about how revealing the documentary can truly be when it deliberately excludes significant portions of the first lady’s life. Her relationships with her husband and son presumably shape much of her daily experience and decision-making.

Melania previously released a self-titled memoir that promised intimate details about her life but ultimately revealed very little substantive personal information. The book maintained the careful image management that has characterized her entire public presence, leaving readers with more questions than answers.

The Amazon connection raises eyebrows

The timing of the documentary deal has generated additional scrutiny due to its proximity to President Trump’s inauguration and Amazon’s subsequent actions. The $40 million agreement was finalized just before Trump took office for his second term.

Around that same time, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced his company would donate $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund. Both Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez later attended the inauguration ceremony, cementing their connection to the incoming administration.

That convergence of a massive documentary deal, a substantial political donation and personal attendance at the inauguration creates an appearance of corporate interests aligning with political access. Critics have questioned whether Amazon’s payment to the first lady represents appropriate business dealings or something more ethically complicated.

The arrangement raises fundamental questions about conflicts of interest when a sitting first lady enters into multimillion-dollar deals with major corporations that have regulatory and policy interests before the federal government. Amazon faces ongoing scrutiny over antitrust concerns, labor practices and tax arrangements.

What viewers can expect

The documentary will debut exclusively in theaters on Jan. 30 before eventually becoming available for streaming on Amazon, though no specific streaming date has been announced. That theatrical release suggests confidence in audience interest despite the controversies surrounding the project.

Melania’s carefully cultivated mystique might actually work in the documentary’s favor from a marketing perspective. She remains one of the more enigmatic first ladies in recent history, rarely granting interviews or making public statements beyond official duties.

Whether the film delivers genuine insights or simply extends her carefully managed public persona remains the central question. The first lady’s track record suggests viewers should expect polished presentation over raw revelation, regardless of what the promotional materials promise about unprecedented access.

The launch of Muse Films indicates Melania Trump views content creation as an ongoing venture rather than a one-time project. What other productions the company might develop and whether they continue generating controversy will reveal much about her post-White House ambitions and how she wants history to remember her time as first lady.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT