Hollywood director Brett Ratner, best known recently for directing "Melania," has surfaced in the Justice Department's latest Epstein Files dump. In the photos, Ratner appears lounging on a couch with his arms around a mysterious woman.
The Rush Hour filmmaker is seated at the far left of the sofa, wearing a white shirt and blue jeans, with his arm around a woman seated beside the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Another woman can be seen at the opposite end of the couch. Both women's faces have been blurred out, and their identities have not been revealed. In one of the photos, Ratner and Epstein are seen smiling directly at the camera.
Dirty Links
The Justice Department made the photos public on Friday as part of a large batch of files tied to Epstein. Ratner had also appeared in an earlier release of Epstein material, where he was seen posing with Jean-Luc Brunel — the French modeling agent who later died by suicide in a jail cell in 2022 after being charged with raping a child.
"Melania" marks Ratner's first major film since several women accused him of sexual misconduct in 2017.
While the documentary, which centers on former first lady Melania Trump, drew harsh reviews from critics, it is still expected to pull in around $8 million during its opening weekend.
Amazon reportedly paid $40 million for the film's worldwide rights and spent an additional $35 million promoting it.
"I didn't know her, but when I met her I was totally taken," Ratner told reporters on the red carpet at the film's premiere.
Trying to Bounce Back
Ratner's career took a serious hit in 2017 after six women — including Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge — publicly accused him of sexual misconduct and assault. Although he denied the claims, the fallout was swift, with major studios such as Warner Bros. cutting ties with his production company, effectively pushing him to the sidelines of Hollywood for years.
He has since resurfaced with a documentary that follows Melania Trump during the days leading up to Donald Trump's second presidential election.
Multiple reports say the film carries an eye-popping $40 million budget, making it one of the most expensive documentaries ever produced.
