Amazon is forking out $40 million to license new Melania Trump documentary
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images
- Amazon will reportedly pay $40 million to license a new documentary on Melania Trump.
- Puck reported the update on the film, which Melania Trump will serve as an executive producer.
- The incoming first lady is not expected to be in Washington full-time during her husband's 2nd term.
Amazon will shell out $40 million to license a documentary on incoming first lady Melania Trump, with the price tag including the film itself, a smaller-scale theatrical run before being featured on Prime Video, and a supplementary docuseries.
That's according to Puck's Matthew Belloni, who revealed more details about the Brett Ratner-directed film as the onetime and future first lady prepares to rejoin the biggest spotlight in the country in less than two weeks.
Melania Trump will be an executive producer for the projects, according to the report. It's unclear how much the incoming first lady will be paid.
Puck also reported that both Disney and Paramount sought streaming rights for the Melania Trump documentary. Apple and Netflix did not place bids for the documentary, according to sources who spoke with the outlet.
Last November, multiple sources previously told CNN that in Trump's second term, Melania Trump will likely split most of her time between New York and Florida, while also having a presence at the White House.
The news about the documentary comes as President-elect Donald Trump's relationship with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos continues to be a hot topic in both the business and political worlds.
In December, The Wall Street Journal first reported that Amazon would donate $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee, part of a cascade of tech leaders seeking to cement or strengthen their relationships with the president-elect.
Bezos last month also traveled to Mar-a-Lago to dine with Trump alongside Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Ahead of the November election, Bezos, the owner of The Washington Post, chose to end the newspaper's longtime practice of endorsing presidential candidates. The decision sparked a huge outcry among subscribers and led to the exit of several members of the Editorial Board.
In an op-ed defending the move, Bezos called his stance "principled."
Business Insider has reached out to Amazon for comment.