Brett Ratner returns to directing with ‘Melania’ documentary

Brett Ratner has returned to the director’s chair with Melania, an authorized documentary about Melania Trump that was released widely on Friday and is the first film he has directed in nearly 12 years. Mrs. Trump is among the film’s producers, and the project was acquired by Amazon for $40 million, the article says.

The comeback follows a long run as a Hollywood hitmaker — from music videos in the 1990s to the Rush Hour films and other studio projects — and a collapse in output after six women accused Mr. Ratner in late 2017 of sexual misconduct. Mr. Ratner denied the accusations, and Warner Bros.

did not renew a major production deal, the report notes. Hercules (2014) was the last theatrical release he directed until Melania. Dante Spinotti, a veteran collaborator and one of the documentary’s three credited cinematographers, told the paper that Mr. Ratner had been “so frustrated these last eight years” and that it was “so nice to see Brett being his old self,” while also acknowledging that Mr.

Ratner had “made some mistakes.” Mr. Ratner did not reply to requests for comment but has promoted the film enthusiastically on social media, thanking Mrs.

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