Report Reveals Amazon Paid $40 Million for Melania Trump Documentary

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Just a few days ago, it was announced that Amazon Prime Video plans to release an incomplete documentary about the future First Lady Melania Trump, which is being directed by filmmaker Brett Ratner, who has been discredited and hasn’t worked since 2017 following accusations of sexual misconduct. His studio, Warner Bros., cut ties with him at that time.

As per a report from Puck News (via Rolling Stone), it’s clear that the studio has shelled out a whopping $40 million for the documentary. This substantial amount also includes a production of a limited series featuring Trump. Details are scarce regarding whether this series will serve as a continuation of the documentary or if it will be a standalone project. The level of detail in both the doc and the series remains unknown, but Ratner apparently boasts “unprecedented” access to the First Lady. Despite numerous documentaries focusing on Donald Trump, particularly his multitude of lawsuits and the 2016 administration, Prime Video’s upcoming projects appear to be the most substantial yet about Melania.

It remains uncertain how much of the reported $40 million will specifically benefit the first lady, or if it will be jointly held by her husband, President-elect Donald Trump. Regardless, this recent move by the company and its owner Jeff Bezos can be seen as another instance in a series of favorable actions towards both the outgoing and incoming administration. In fact, just last month, Amazon contributed $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund, following a dinner between Bezos and Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Furthermore, according to MSNBC, Prime Video is set to stream Trump’s second inauguration for a fee of another $1 million.

Amazon & Bezos Are in Bed with the Trumps in Several Ways

Moreover, not only that, but in October 2024, right before the election, The Washington Post was planning to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president. However, Bezos, who bought the paper in 2013, called off the endorsement, stating that such endorsements merely give the impression of bias and lack of impartiality. “In reality,” he argued in an opinion piece, “presidential endorsements foster a sense of bias and non-independence. Cancelling them is a principled move, and it’s the correct one.” However, considering his ongoing backing of Trump, one might ponder whether Bezos would have withdrawn the endorsement if the situation had been different.

Recently, as a movie critic looking back, I find myself reflecting on the dramatic resignation of Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist Ann Telnaes from The Washington Post. Her poignant piece, which was unfortunately discarded, depicted a unique gathering: Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, LA Times owner and billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong (who also halted an editorial backing Harris), and Mickey Mouse as a representative of Disney (recently settling a $15 million defamation lawsuit with Trump through ABC) standing before a grand statue of Donald Trump. This intriguing tableau, though now lost to us, was undoubtedly a powerful commentary on the complexities of modern politics and corporate influence.

David Shipley, who oversees the post editor, asserts that the cartoon was unoriginal and devoid of political intentions for its removal. However, considering Amazon’s extensive ties with the incoming administration, it’s challenging not to entertain suspicions about hidden agendas.

This unnamed documentary is set to premiere later this year on Amazon Prime Video. As for the upcoming series, there’s no confirmed release date at the moment. We’ll see if Amazon and possibly Bezos develop closer ties with the new Trump administration in the future.

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2025-01-08 19:09