Jonny Greenwood demands his music be pulled from ‘Melania,’ and now Universal Pictures faces a potential legal nightmare

Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood and director Paul Thomas Anderson are demanding that music from their 2017 film, Phantom Thread, be removed from the new documentary about First Lady Melania Trump. The documentary, titled Melania, recently hit theaters, but using Greenwood’s score has created a major problem for the studios involved.

According to Billboard, the composers and director released a joint statement confirming their demand. The track causing the issue is Barbara Rose, which Greenwood composed for Anderson’s 2017 Oscar-winning film. People on social media noticed the unusual soundtrack choice after the film premiered on January 29, 2026.

Greenwood wrote the score, but he doesn’t own the copyright. The rights usually belong to the distributing studio, which in this case is Universal Pictures. However, the studio made a serious mistake by not consulting Greenwood before allowing the music to be used elsewhere.

Universal Pictures breached the composer’s agreement with unauthorized use

“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,” the pair wrote in their statement. This oversight is why Greenwood and Anderson are pushing hard to have the music removed from the documentary.

When working with a composer of Greenwood’s level, studios cannot skip important steps like consultation. Greenwood has scored several major films for Anderson, including There Will Be Blood. He also composed the music for Jane Campion’s 2021 Oscar winner, The Power of the Dog. His status as an experienced composer likely means he has special contract terms that give him power to protect his creative work.

The unauthorized use becomes even more significant because of the documentary’s massive scale. Amazon MGM bought the rights to the film and spent a reported $75 million total. That huge budget included $40 million for the rights and $35 million just for marketing, possibly making it the most expensive documentary ever made. This isn’t the first time powerful figures tried leveraging their connections for questionable projects.

The film made $7 million in its opening weekend last week. The documentary’s director is Brett Ratner, a Hollywood figure who faced multiple accusations of sexual harassment and assault during the #MeToo movement in 2017. Given Ratner’s controversial history, it makes sense why a respected artist like Greenwood wouldn’t want his work connected to this project.

It’s still not clear how the track was approved for use, or if it was approved at all. Usually, composers work on a “work for hire” basis, meaning they give up their rights to the studio. Greenwood’s impressive career suggests he might have the contract power needed to successfully get his music removed. The controversy highlights how public figures navigate disagreements over unauthorized associations. Universal Pictures and Amazon MGM have not commented on the situation yet.