Topics: Documentaries, Donald Trump, Film and TV, Melania Trump, Amazon Prime, US News, Politics
Amazon is likely hoping to turn its Melania Trump documentary into a hit as they reportedly shelled out millions for the rights to the First Lady's story.
Melania Trump has just scooped up a big paycheck after agreeing a massive deal with Amazon, with the First Lady being set to take home at least $28 million of a $40 million agreement with the streamer to license a documentary about her life.
The documentary’s title has not been publicly named and the level of detail it will go into regarding her life is still unknown.
It is expected that husband and POTUS Donald Trump will feature massively due to the fact the couple have been together 20 years, as well as the fact she quickly became internationally known due to her husband's first successful bid on the White House.
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The deal has likely been in the works for quite some time, as Melania was reportedly discussing sponsorship from blue-chip CEOs and billionaires during Donald Trump's inauguration.
According to a New York Post report, on the night (January 20) she told CEOs they would need to give up at least $10 million in exchange for being acknowledged at the end of the film’s credits.
As well as this, the CEOs who agreed to this deal would be invited to the documentary premiere.
Melania was also reportedly keen on Amazon founder Jeff Bezos to buy the rights to the documentary.
This $40 million deal is reportedly the most Amazon has ever spent on a documentary and ahead of the finalized deal, there appeared to be a bidding war between companies.
Per a Puck News report, Disney offered $14 million while Paramount bid $4 million. Neither Netflix or Apple took part in the bidding, however.
An Amazon spokesperson said: "We licensed the upcoming Melania Trump documentary film and series for one reason and one reason only — because we think customers are going to love it."
The documentary’s director choice has proven controversial, as it has been confirmed it will be Brett Ratner. In 2017 the director, most known for his directorial work on Rush Hour as well X-Men: The Last stand, hasn’t directed since 2015.
Amazon remains tight-lipped about the details for the documentary releasing a statement last month about the project.
The statement read: “Prime Video will be sharing more details on the project as filming progresses and release plans are finalized.
“We are excited to share this truly unique story with our millions of customers around the world.”
