'Catch and kill': Questions raised as fortune on table for unreleased Lindsey Graham film

A documentary on the life of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) may be purchased by Paramount for an "eye-popping" sum — raising questions about what the controversial media giant plans to do with it.

Before his death earlier this year, Graham was the subject of filmmaker Alex Holder's latest project, granting him "rare and expansive behind-the-scenes access to his life," according to media watchdog Status. Holder captured hundreds of hours of footage showing Graham in a range of settings, including conducting business and speaking by phone with world leaders and other prominent figures.

One person said to be swept up in the filmmaking is controversial Paramount boss David Ellison. The 43-year-old mogul was Graham's guest at this year's State of the Union, and the "two posted a selfie together online." Because Holder captured Graham chatting candidly with associates on speakerphone, it's possible Ellison's own conversations with the senator were recorded — "even without his knowledge," reported Oliver Darcy of Status.

That may help explain Paramount's aggressive pursuit of the film, Darcy suggested, before adding that, perhaps, its leadership wanted its own version of "Melania" — though Holder is a serious filmmaker, not a producer of propaganda for the powerful.

Whatever the motive, Status reports Paramount is in advanced talks to acquire the documentary, with chief legal officer Makan Delrahim personally involved in the negotiations even as he juggles the company's $111 billion bid for Warner Bros. Discovery. Some state attorneys general offices have learned of the talks in recent weeks.

No exact figure could be confirmed, but the offer is said to be in an "eye-popping" eight-figure range — a "striking sum" for a documentary of this kind, though the deal "could still fall through before it's finalized."

According to Darcy, "There are now real questions about whether footage Holder captured of Graham interacting candidly with Ellison will make the final cut — or ever see the light of day. If Paramount purchases the film for a staggering sum and then moves to spike such footage, it would raise obvious questions about whether the company had engaged in a so-called "catch and kill," a frowned-upon practice in the news industry, though one famously employed by the National Enquirer on Donald Trump'sbehalf."