A two-part series executive produced by the first lady, Melania Trump, will debut this month on Amazon’s streaming service, the tech giant announced on Friday.
“Melania, the Series,” which will be available on Prime Video on Nov. 20, comes less than a year after the release of the feature-length documentary “Melania.” Both works were directed by Brett Ratner. A news release promised the program would take “audiences beyond what they have already seen, with content never before shared with the public.” It will follow the first lady in the days after the 47th Presidential Inauguration.
Amazon attracted scrutiny earlier this year for spending large sums on “Melania” without a reasonable expectation of a substantial financial return. It acquired the film, of which Mrs. Trump was a producer, for $40 million and spent another $35 million to market it, a sum that a topical documentary was unlikely to recoup. (The recent documentary about the Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes is considered extremely unusual for making so far nearly $65 million at the box office.) “Melania” collected $16 million in global ticket sales, according to the website Box Office Mojo.
Observers questioned whether in releasing “Melania,” Amazon was trying to ingratiate itself with President Trump, as a business affected by regulations and government contracts. Some employees in Amazon’s entertainment division were told that company leadership had mandated the film’s release.
An Amazon spokesman Friday referred to the company’s statement in January, which said, “We licensed the film and series for one reason and one reason only — because we think customers are going to love them.”
A New York Times reviewer called “Melania,” which follows Mrs. Trump in the weeks leading up to her husband’s inauguration in January 2025, “a glossy, curiously impersonal, outwardly apolitical portrait.”
For Mr. Ratner, an alliance with Mrs. Trump promised rehabilitation. Mr. Ratner, once known as one of Hollywood’s most commercially reliable directors with hits including the “Rush Hour” trilogy and an “X-Men” film, faced multiple women’s accusations of sexual misconduct in 2017; they appeared to derail Mr. Ratner’s career. “Melania” was his first theatrical release in more than a decade.
Rumors have swirled that Paramount and its parent company, Skydance Media, are interested in a fourth “Rush Hour” film from Mr. Ratner, reportedly at Mr. Trump’s request.
Representatives for Mrs. Trump and Mr. Ratner did not reply to requests for comment.
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