rince Estate Stopped Music from Being in Melania Doc, Says Producer: He ‘Would Never Want His Song Associated with Trump’

Beckman claimed in the interview that he was originally told he could get the rights to a Prince song until the “Purple Rain” singer’s estate stepped in.

“Literally we were ready to go, and this lawyer that manages the estate was like, ‘Prince would never want his song associated with Donald Trump.’ And we’re like, ‘But it’s not a Donald Trump film! He comes into the movie once in a while, but this is all about Melania. It’s not political.’ And that guy blocked it. It’s so ridiculous,” he alleged.

The producer also claimed that Guns N’ Roses and Grace Jones declined the rights to their music.

The Beckman further said there were some surprising artists who were enthused to be included in the movie. “Some of the artists you would never think would say yes jumped on it right away. I was like, ‘Wow, I love this person even more now,’ ” he shared.

Beckman declined to name those musicians, saying that some of them “are afraid that because their fan base is so liberal, progressive, that they would lose their fans.”

A few musicians have expressed their dissatisfaction for being featured in the Brett Ratner-directed documentary.

Jonny Greenwood, lead guitarist for Radiohead and film composer, and director Paul Thomas Anderson, previously shared a joint statement to Variety requesting that a segment of the Phantom Thread score be removed from the documentary.

“It has come to our attention that a piece of music from Phantom Thread has been used in the Melania documentary,” read the pair’s statement. “While Jonny Greenwood does not own the copyright in the score, Universal failed to consult Jonny on this third-party use, which is a breach of his composer agreement. As a result, Jonny and Paul Thomas Anderson have asked for it to be removed from the documentary.”

Beckman responded to their statement in the interview, saying, “It’s funny — Radiohead is one of my all-time favorite bands. For them to have come out publicly and distanced themselves, I think that’s just part of the unfortunate time we’re living in.”

“We went out and created a nice film that doesn’t get into any kind of political policy or anything like that. The music at that moment is so perfect, honestly, I was so thrilled to be able to use it,” he added.

“We spent top dollars for all that music, and we’re thrilled to have that song included in the film,” Beckman said.

Melania earned $7.04 million at the opening weekend box office upon its theatrical release on Jan. 30.

The movie was backed by a $40 million deal with Amazon MGM Studios and a $35 million marketing campaign. It currently has an 11% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, up just slightly from its 8% rating the week of its release.

Beckman claimed in the interview that he was originally told he could get the rights to a Prince song until the “Purple Rain” singer’s estate stepped in.

“Literally we were ready to go, and this lawyer that manages the estate was like, ‘Prince would never want his song associated with Donald Trump.’ And we’re like, ‘But it’s not a Donald Trump film! He comes into the movie once in a while, but this is all about Melania. It’s not political.’ And that guy blocked it. It’s so ridiculous,” he alleged.

The producer also claimed that Guns N’ Roses and Grace Jones declined the rights to their music.

The Beckman further said there were some surprising artists who were enthused to be included in the movie. “Some of the artists you would never think would say yes jumped on it right away. I was like, ‘Wow, I love this person even more now,’ ” he shared.

Beckman declined to name those musicians, saying that some of them “are afraid that because their fan base is so liberal, progressive, that they would lose their fans.”

A few musicians have expressed their dissatisfaction for being featured in the Brett Ratner-directed documentary.

Jonny Greenwood, lead guitarist for Radiohead and film composer, and director Paul Thomas Anderson, previously shared a joint statement to Variety requesting that a segment of the Phantom Thread score be removed from the documentary.

“It has come to our attention that a piece of music from Phantom Thread has been used in the Melania documentary,” read the pair’s statement. “While Jonny Greenwood does not own the copyright in the score, Universal failed to consult Jonny on this third-party use, which is a breach of his composer agreement. As a result, Jonny and Paul Thomas Anderson have asked for it to be removed from the documentary.”

Beckman responded to their statement in the interview, saying, “It’s funny — Radiohead is one of my all-time favorite bands. For them to have come out publicly and distanced themselves, I think that’s just part of the unfortunate time we’re living in.”

“We went out and created a nice film that doesn’t get into any kind of political policy or anything like that. The music at that moment is so perfect, honestly, I was so thrilled to be able to use it,” he added.

“We spent top dollars for all that music, and we’re thrilled to have that song included in the film,” Beckman said.

Melania earned $7.04 million at the opening weekend box office upon its theatrical release on Jan. 30.

The movie was backed by a $40 million deal with Amazon MGM Studios and a $35 million marketing campaign. It currently has an 11% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, up just slightly from its 8% rating the week of its release.