Brett Ratner, Director of Upcoming Melania Trump Documentary, Seen in Photo Released from Epstein Files By Raven Brunner 22

Disgraced Hollywood director Brett Ratner appeared in the latest batch of files from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation released by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

In a photo released on Friday, Dec. 19, Ratner, director of the upcoming Melania Trump documentary, is seen posing with the late French model agent and Epstein associate Jean-Luc Brunel.

Brunel appears shirtless in the image, and he is being intimately hugged by Ratner, 56, in a dimly-lit room. The photo does not include additional context, such as the date or location. 

PEOPLE reached out to Ratner and his production company, RatPac, for comment on Sunday, Dec. 21, but did not receive an immediate response.

Brunel died by suicide in his Paris prison cell in 2022 while facing charges of raping a minor. 

Years earlier, he was named by Virginia Giuffre, one of the main complainants in Epstein’s prosecution, in documents filed in New York and France. Giuffre, at the time, claimed she had sex with Brunel as a minor on several occasions.

Ratner has been accused of sexual assault by multiple women, including Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge, as well as outing a then-18-year-old Elliot Page.

His upcoming film, MELANIA, marks his first directorial project since 2014’s Hercules. He also produced 2017’s The Lego Ninjago Movie and 2019’s Georgetown, among a few others. 

Ratner is known for directing Rush Hour and its two sequels, as well as The Family Man, X-Men: The Last Stand and Tower Heist. 

Ratner said in November 2017 that he was “choosing to personally step away from all Warner Bros.- related activities” after the allegations of sexual misconduct were made against him in an explosive Los Angeles Times report.

Warner Bros. later announced, per Variety, that they would not renew their $450-million first-look deal with Ratner’s RatPac production company.

Ratner has denied the allegations.

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Thousands of files were released by the DOJ on Friday, one month after President Donald Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which requires the DOJ to make all documents related to the investigation publicly available and searchable. 

The DOJ’s release of files consisted of five different data sets, containing roughly 3,900 files.

They included a wide range of documents and photos, including a full scanned copy of the book Massage for Dummies, a fully redacted 119-page grand jury filing and a police report in which a young woman alleged that Epstein threatened to burn down her house.

The files released also include images of Bill Clinton, Kevin Spacey, Michael Jackson and other high-profile celebrities and political figures.

At least 16 of the files have since been reportedly removed from the DOJ webpage, including a photograph of Trump, 79. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche claimed the files were removed to protect the victims.

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Epstein died in August 2019 at age 66. He was found hanging inside a jail cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City, where he was awaiting trial on federal conspiracy and sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.