UPDATE: After comments regarding retirement began circling, Woody Allen has issued a statement clarifying his remarks, which reads:
Woody Allen never said he was retiring, not 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.
Original story follows…
During promotion for his upcoming 50th feature, polarizing filmmaker Woody Allen has announced he is ending his directorial career.
Allen told the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia that he intended to retire from making movies and dedicate more time to writing.
His move to making films in Europe came at a time when his support in the United States took a dramatic plunge, given the abuse accusations against him. His final film, Wasp 22, is set in Paris and will be shot entirely in French in a couple of weeks. Allen described the forthcoming Wasp 22 as “a sort of poisonous romantic thriller.”
Allen directed his first feature film in 1966 with What’s Up, Tiger Lily?. Almost a decade later, he helmed the hit film Annie Hall, and it launched the filmmaker to a different level. He’d go on to be nominated for 24 Academy Awards and walked away with four wins.
During his prolific career, he’s always been at the center of controversies. In 1997, he married Soon-Yi Previn, the child of his ex-girlfriend Mia Farrow. Multiple sexual assault allegations sprung up from there involving Mia Farrow’s children with Allen. The allegation gained substantial media attention, but “Allen was never charged or prosecuted, and he vehemently denied the allegation.”
Still, after the Me Too movement in Hollywood in recent years, Allen’s career took more hits, and he faced issues getting his films made and released. Amazon Studios shelved his previous film, A Rainy Day in New York, after accusing Allen of “sabotaging” the future of the movie by his comments on the abuse accusations of his daughter Dylan Farrow. He sued them for $68 million, alleging a breach of contract, which was later settled out of court.
Originally published September 18, 2022. Updated September 19, 2022.
