Woody allen sues amazon studios
ANEW YORK: Woody Allen sued Amazon Studios on Thursday, saying he deserves at least $68 million in damages over their refusal to distribute his completed film Rainy Day in New York and their decision to abandon a four-picture production and distribution arrangement.
Allen, 83, accused the Amazon.com Inc unit of breach of contract for backing out last June, after an accusation resurfaced that he had in 1992 molested his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow. “Amazon has tried to excuse its action by referencing a 25-year-old, baseless allegation against Mr. Allen, but that allegation was already well known to Amazon (and the public)” before it contracted with Allen, the complaint said. “It does not provide a basis for Amazon to terminate the contract.” In the complaint, Allen said Amazon Studios had already contracted with him and his Gravier Productions to distribute his films Cafe Society and Wonder Wheel before entering the four-film agreement in August 2017.
But he said studio executives soon expressed concern about “negative publicity and reputational harm” it faced over harassment claims. Allen said he agreed to delay the release of Rainy Day, only to have Amazon Studios cancel their contract altogether. “Amazon cannot continue in business with Mr. Allen,” Amazon Studios associate general counsel Ajay Patel wrote in a 19 June email.