Topline
Brett Ratner, the Hollywood director whose career the Trump family helped revive from a decade-long drought following “Me Too”-era sexual misconduct allegations—notably with the big-budget “Melania” documentary—is joining billionaires and business leaders on the President Donald Trump’s trip to China, multiple outlets reported.
Ratner directed the “Melania” documentary, which opened in theaters in January. (Photo by Taylor Hill/WireImage)
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Key Facts
Ratner’s spokesperson told the New York Post he is joining Trump’s delegation to China, where he will scout filming locations for the forthcoming “Rush Hour 4”—which Trump reportedly urged Paramount to develop—and to meet with cast and crew.
The Associated Press reported Tuesday Ratner was spotted aboard Air Force One, where he visited the press cabin.
Also joining Trump on his China trip are five billionaires—Tesla’s Elon Musk, Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman, Apple’s Tim Cook, General Electric’s Larry Culp and BlackRock’s Larry Fink—as well as other CEOs, including Boeing’s Kelly Ortberg and Goldman Sachs’ David Solomon.
Ratner directed “Melania,” an Amazon-backed documentary on First Lady Melania Trump that opened in theaters in January, which was his first film project since allegations of sexual misconduct halted his Hollywood career.
Ratner’s Trump-backed career resurgence follows more than a decade of Hollywood exile, as he had not directed a movie since “Hercules” in 2014.
Key Background
Ratner made his comeback to directing with “Melania,” which raised some eyebrows for its large Amazon-funded price tag. Amazon reportedly paid $40 million for the rights to the film and spent another $35 million on marketing and distribution, though the documentary failed to earn back its budget, grossing $16 million at the box office. The Wall Street Journal reported Melania Trump pocketed 70% of the $40 million Amazon paid for the rights, which would be more than $28 million. Some critics questioned whether the documentary was a move by Amazon to curry favor with the Trump administration, with former Amazon film executive Ted Hope telling the New York Times it could be seen as an “outright bribe.” Ratner defended the high price tag, saying the backlash is “silly” because it is also funding a forthcoming docuseries on Trump he is developing, also saying he used the money to license music and hire “top of the line” cinematographers. While filming “Melania,” Ratner reportedly spent months at Mar-a-Lago in the weeks leading up to President Trump’s second inauguration.
Tangent
Ratner, whose best-known directing credits include the “Rush Hour” franchise and “X-Men: The Last Stand,” was once a powerful Hollywood figure whose RatPac Entertainment production company financed multiple Oscar-winning movies. His career crashed to a halt in 2017 when, during the height of the “Me Too” movement, multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct, including actress Olivia Munn. Munn accused Ratner of masturbating in front of her while she visited the set of his movie, “After the Sunset,” in 2004, and also accused him of making explicit comments to or about her. Model Natasha Henstridge alleged Ratner “physically forced himself on me” in the early 1990s, when she was 19 and he was in his early 20s, and she accused him of forcing her to perform oral sex. Six women in total accused Ratner of sexual misconduct in a 2017 Los Angeles Times report. Ratner denied the allegations at the time through his attorney Marty Singer, and he was never charged with any crimes in connection to the accusations
What Do We Know About Trump’s China Trip?
Trump departed the White House on Tuesday for Beijing, where he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The summit was delayed for six weeks amid the war in Iran, which is expected to be a topic of discussion. Trump said Tuesday he is going to have a “long talk” about the Iran war with Xi, though he added shortly after, “We have a lot of things to discuss. I wouldn’t say Iran is one of them, to be honest with you, because we have Iran very much under control.” Trump administration officials have urged China to use its influence over Iran to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying last week it is “in China’s interest that Iran stop closing the strait.” The leaders are also expected to discuss trade, artificial intelligence and Taiwan.
Further Reading
Trump Will Bring 5 Billionaires Worth A Combined $870 Billion On His China Trip (Forbes)