Oscar-nominated director Paul Thomas Anderson and Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood have formally requested that a piece of music from their 2017 film “Phantom Thread” be removed from the new documentary about first lady Melania Trump.
“It has come to our attention that a piece of music from ‘Phantom Thread’ has been used in the ‘Melania’ documentary,” Anderson and Greenwood said in a joint statement Monday. “While Jonny Greenwood does not own the copyright in the score, Universal failed to consult Jonny on third third-party use, which is a breach of his composer agreement.”
“As a result,” the pair added, “Jonny and Paul Thomas Anderson have asked for it to be removed from the documentary.”
Greenwood composed the lush orchestral score for “Phantom Thread,” a drama about a temperamental dressmaker (Daniel Day-Lewis) in 1950s London. “Phantom Thread” was released by Focus Features, a unit of NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News.
Amazon MGM Studios, the company that acquired distribution rights to “Melania” for $40 million, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Melania” follows the first lady in the 20 days leading up to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025, and features original music by composer Tony Neiman. It was directed by Brett Ratner (“Rush Hour”), marking his first directorial effort since he faced sexual misconduct allegations in 2017.
He has denied those allegations, and he has not been charged.
“Melania” has so far grossed more than $13 million in North America, according to Box Office Mojo, a website owned by Amazon. It has earned largely negative reviews from professional critics, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 8%.
Anderson’s latest film, “One Battle After Another,” recently collected 13 nominations for the 98th Academy Awards in March, including best picture and best director. “One Battle After Another” chronicles a group of faded leftist revolutionaries on the run from a brutal military officer.
Greenwood composed the score for “One Battle After Another” as well as the Anderson films “There Will Be Blood,” “The Master” and “Inherent Vice.” He has been nominated three times for the best original score Oscar.
