Last we checked in with Brett Ratner, he was part of a pitch going around Hollywood for “Rush Hour 4.” He directed the first three, but THR was reporting that Ratner’s involvement was “a nonstarter for several studios,” including Paramount and Sony, which were offered the package.
Ratner hasn’t worked in Hollywood for the past seven years. In 2017, during the height of #MeToo, he faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment. Ratner was immediately dropped by his agency. He has strongly denied all allegations of sexual misconduct, and no charges were ever brought against him.
However, one studio willing to work with Ratner is Amazon, and they’re now teaming up with him on, of all things, a Melania Trump documentary which will be co-produced by the first lady herself.
A studio spokesperson calls the film “an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look” at the first lady and third wife of Donald Trump. A 2025 theatrical release is being set up for the doc.
Friends of Ratner have told Variety that as far as a comeback goes, he “saw a pathway back by directing a documentary.” Much to his surprise, Amazon quickly hopped onboard the project even as it was still filming.
It’s not like Ratner hasn’t attempted a comeback since the allegations surfaced more than seven years ago. In 2021, he was set to helm a longtime passion project of his, a biopic tackling disgraced R&B duo Milli Vanilli. However, major backlash, including a vehement condemnation from Time’s Up, forced him to drop out.
It is unclear how Ratner convinced Melania to trust him with her life story, but one of his last movies was “Tower Heist,” which used Trump Tower as the film’s primary location.