Woody Allen denies reports of retirement as he shoots his 50th film
Woody Allen has denied reports that he is retiring, after a widely circulated article in a Spanish newspaper quoted him as saying his current film would be his last.
Allen, 86, had been speaking to La Vanguardia before the filming of his new project, currently titled Wasp 22, in Paris. The newspaper had quoted him as saying: “My idea, in principle, is not to make more movies and focus on writing”, adding that his next project was a novel.
A statement issued on behalf of the film-maker said: “Woody Allen never said he was retiring, nor did he say he was writing another novel. He said he was thinking about not making films, as making films that go straight or very quickly to streaming platforms is not so enjoyable for him, as he is a great lover of the cinema experience. Currently, he has no intention of retiring and is very excited to be in Paris shooting his new movie, which will be the 50th.” La Vanguardia also quoted Allen as saying that Wasp 22 would be “similar to” his 2005 film Match Point, and would be “exciting, dramatic and also sinister”.
In June, Allen had expressed his disillusion with the film-making process in an Instagram Live interview with actor Alec Baldwin saying: “A lot of the thrill is gone. Now you do a movie and you get a couple of weeks in a movie house, and then it goes to streaming or pay per view. It’s not the same. It’s not as enjoyable to me.”
Allen’s four-picture deal with Amazon Studios collapsed in 2018 in the fallout from renewed attention around allegations by the director’s adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, that he had sexually abused her. Allen has always denied the allegation; two investigations were closed with no charges being brought against him.
Allen’s memoir Apropos of Nothing was subsequently dropped by publishers Hachette, but was picked up and published by Arcade in 2020. Arcade also published Zero Gravity, his new collection of short stories.